Take A Chance On Me
by flyaway111
Summary: He had been alone for so long that he had given up on ever finding his imprint, so when he finally meets her, he's elated. After a horrible accident and the discovery of a terrible sickness, she is forced to move from her home and is determined to shun anyone who tries to befriend her. A story about love, sacrifice, and imprinting. Seth/OFC. T for language.
1. At The Beginning With You

**I told myself that I would never ever _ever EVER_ EVER write a Twilight fic, but here I am with what is probably one of the greatest stories I've ever written.**

**What to Know Before Reading:**

**1. This story is canon through Breaking Dawn and takes place a year after, which means I'm putting it in late 2009/early 2010. (I'm going by the publication date in '08 as the year BD took place.)**

**2. Seth is 17 in this story, as is the OC, Annie.**

**3. This story is Werewolf-centric. I'm not a big fan of Bella or the Cullens, though they will eventually be making a small appearance in this story from time to time because Seth is close with them.**

**4. This story is written in a section/drabble form (each chapter is made up of different sections/drabbles.) Whenever you see the words 'I,' 'me,' or 'my,' that refers to the OC, Annie.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight novels, or any of Stephanie Meyer's characters. Anything you recognize is probably not mine, while anything you don't (including the plot for this story), belongs to me.**

* * *

Chapter 1:

"_Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another." – Thomas Merton, __Love and Living_

To Seth Clearwater, 'imprinting' had always been an optimistic term.

It was something he had always looked forward to after seeing the affect it had on his pack brothers. To find someone you could spend the rest of your life with; someone who you could relate to, care for, and love more than life itself seemed to be an amazing experience that Seth wanted to have for himself.

He envied most of the guys for it, though he would never confess that out loud. Sam with Emily, Jared and Kim, Paul and Rachel, Quil with little Claire, and even Jacob with his half-vampire infant imprint. To have that kind of connection with someone – to find the other half of your soul – was something that he had only dreamed about. It seemed like…

Well, it seemed like a fairytale.

He knew there were downsides, though. He thought about the bad things that resulted from imprinting every time he glanced at Emily's scars; he saw it every time he caught his sister giving these long and painful looks to Sam when she thought that no one was looking.

Seth knew there was pain; he knew that all of the imprints had to go through some sort of obstacle before getting their own 'Happily Ever After's,' but despite these downsides he could not find it in himself to control his anticipation. His mother had always called him a hopeless romantic, and she had been right. He wanted to find his true love, his soul mate; he would give anything to have a family of his own.

It was all he ever really wanted.

Even seeing that elated bliss inside the heads of the other imprinted guys made him crave that kind of connection even more. If the feeling was so grand just by seeing it in someone else's head, then it must have been pretty fantastic to feel it for yourself.

With this craving in mind, Seth found himself actively searching for _her_ wherever he went: the beach, school, the grocery store… no one was safe from his wandering eye. There were many girls that had shown interest in him, of course – some gave their shy smiles with their twinkling eyes in the hopes that he would approach them, while some of the braver ones would take matters into their own hands and attempt to start a conversation with him.

But none of them had ever been 'The One.'

Of course, he wasn't the only one without an imprint. Collin and Brady seemed fine without it, happy that they didn't have to be tied down while they were still so young. When confronted with Seth's questions, Embry said that he was indifferent about the imprint. He was not going out and making lasting relationships, but was not actively searching for his imprint either. He was completely content with being single for the time being.

And as for Leah…

Well, Leah was a whole different story altogether.

By his own observations, he seemed to be the only un-imprinted guy who _wanted _to find his soul mate. Embry was happy with the company of just his friends, Collin and Brady had satisfied themselves with one-night stands, and Leah seemed to be fully content with being alone and using her rage and self-pity to make her a better wolf.

And as always, Seth was alone.

Eventually, after becoming tired, angry, and frustrated with the fact that the Spirit's seemed to be _purposely_ keeping his soul mate from him, Seth stopped looking.

But then again, maybe that was a good thing. After all, love usually finds us whenever we aren't actively searching for it.

* * *

_International Blvd., Seattle, Washington:_

The flight from the Louis Armstrong International Airport to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport took a little over six hours. It was not long by normal standards, but it seemed to go on for ages.

Sitting in between my elder brother, Eli, and my younger sister, Charlotte, I was kept awake during the entire trip despite the fact that all I wanted to do was give in to my exhaustion and fall asleep. I couldn't, however. It was tough to fall asleep when on one side I had my brother sending me endlessly worried glances every other minute, and on the other, my sister had sprawled across both her own seat _and _mine in an attempt to take a nap. Obviously it had worked, because she had fallen asleep twenty minutes into the flight and had not woken up since.

It wasn't until the plane had landed and the passenger's started to gather their luggage from the overhead compartment that I finally spoke up against my brother's constant staring. "Would you stop worrying, Eli?" I commanded, "You look like you're about to give yourself an ulcer. Chill out."

Eli just glared. "Can you blame me for worrying? I wanted to drive here. You know Dr. Sanson said that he didn't recommend flying in your condition."

I scowled; the mention of my former oncologist back home in Louisiana was enough to make me cringe. "Announce it to the world, would you?" I suggested sarcastically, crossing my arms over my chest as he reached up to grab our luggage. "Besides, Dr. Sanson is a crackpot and the drive here would have taken two and half days. Honestly, that would have done more harm than the plane."

It was obvious that Eli was not in the mood to argue – he never was, these days. Instead, he turned to our sister, "Charlotte, wake up."

Charlotte, who was already slowly forcing herself awake at the sounds of commotion that were taking place throughout the plane, yawned. "Are we there yet?" she mumbled.

"Yep," I responded, forcing a smile onto my face. "We still have a little drive to make before we reach our new house, though."

"What's the name of our new town again?"

"Forks."

Charlotte wrinkled her nose and stretched out her arms. "I miss my friends," she commented suddenly, tugging the belt loop on my baggy jeans. "I miss the Quarter and the food and the streetcars. Do they have streetcars here?"

Eli was the one who answered. "We know how to make all the dishes from back home, and I don't think they have streetcars –"

"And if they do, they're not like the ones back home," I muttered.

"Annie," he warned, sending me a glare before turning back to Charlotte. "Besides, you'll make lots of new friends when school starts. Both of you will," he said, sending me a pointed look.

I scoffed, and resisted the urge to say how much I doubted his words.

Charlotte just frowned. "It's not the same. I don't want to make new friends, I want my old friends back."

"This is going to be good for all three of us," Eli stated assuredly. "Annie's new doctor is here, and the fresh air will help her stay healthy. Don't you want that?"

"Don't say things like that," I burst in, slightly angry. "You can't ask her those types of questions. She doesn't have to feel guilty for wanting her home back."

Charlotte looked down at her feet, knowing that another fight was clearly brewing. "I don't want Annie to be sick. I just want my friends, too."

"We all have to make sacrifices. All of us." He gave us a stern look. "This is our home now, so you might as well grin and bear it."

I frowned, pulling my warm knit cap down so that it covered my head to my ears. _This overprotectiveness thing he has going on is getting completely out of hand, _I thought to myself, following as we slowly trickled down through the rows of seats to reach the next section of the airport.

Eli gestured to several rows of seats lining the walls. "I'll go and get the rest of the luggage. Why don't you go and sit down? I know you're probably tired."

I _was _tired. Honestly, with a combination of the jetlag and the ever-present weariness that accompanied me on a daily basis, I was absolutely _exhausted._ But I refused to show it. "I'm fine," I responded, not wanting to give him another reason to worry about me. "I've been sitting all day."

"Annie," he ordered, "sit."

Not in the mood for arguing, I did as I was told. I didn't particularly blame Eli for his protectiveness or stern attitude, despite the fact that it aggravated me to no end. I understood his concern; he was only worried. Anyone would be.

"Sissy, are you okay?" Charlotte asked, her tone conversational. She took a seat next to me, her short legs hovering over the ground.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Charlotte's observation; Eli's worrisome attitude must have been rubbing off on her. "I'm fine, sweetie," she answered. "I just really want to go back home."

"Me too," sighed Charlotte. "How long are we staying in Spoons?"

"Forks," I corrected, amused. "That would be Forks, not Spoons."

"How long are we staying?" she repeated, ignoring my correction.

We watched as Eli struggled to pull several large suitcases off of the conveyer belt. "Indefinitely, I suppose."

Charlotte fiddled with the strap of her carryon bag before staring straight at the far wall determinedly, as if she could burn a hole in it with just her gaze. "Oh."

I felt a surge of pity flow through my body. Charlotte was just eight years old; being that age was supposed to be all about fun and new experiences without the added stress and tragedy that she had already experienced. I reached out and hugged her, kissing the top of her head in an attempt to be comforting. "It'll be okay, sweetie. Who knows, it might end up being fun; like an adventure! There's lots of trees and hiking paths to explore in the woods, and there's apparently a really nice beach on the reservation there."

"But _you _won't be able to do all that stuff with us," Charlotte shot back, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

My smile turned into a grimace. "I'll be able to do _some_ stuff. I can go to the beach and make sandcastles with you, and swim in the ocean. I can go hiking, too…"

Even as the words slipped out of my mouth, I knew that they weren't exactly true. With my basically destroyed immune system, I was a lot more prone toward getting infections and would have to be careful about going in the water at the beach. Hiking would be safer, but it would take a _lot_ of time; I would get tired easily, and I highly doubted that Eli would let me go even if I had some sort of adult supervision.

I would honestly be lucky if I could make it ten steps off the front lawn without him breathing down my neck at every passing moment.

Charlotte didn't look like she believed me either but did her best to put on a brave face. I didn't blame her; my words sounded flat and hollow even to my own ears.

"Alright guys," said Eli, juggling several bags and suitcases as he approached. "Ready to go and see our new home?"

Charlotte and I exchanged looks. Our answer was plain on our faces, but we refused to say it out loud: _No._

* * *

_Highway 101-N, Forks, Washington:_

In a small rental car from the airport, our happy little family made its way down the long stretch of highway leading from Seattle to Forks. If anything could be said about the drive, it was that it was extremely odd. For miles, the city stretched out around us. Buildings and large shopping centers towered above each other; cars drove quickly along the highways eager to get to their destinations, and the only foliage in sight were patches of grass spread here and there and a few clumps of trees scattered around to add life to several intersections.

But then about ten minutes out of Port Angeles, it was like we had stepped into a brand new universe. The tall buildings and stores had been traded with thick and dense foliage, the trees piling on top of one another on either side of the road. Green leaves floated gently onto the street in front of the car as the rain trickled down the windows. Houses came few and far between; some were in thick huddles, closed off together on small back roads before breaking off into thick forest once more.

"We are literally miles away from civilization," I commented from my spot in the passenger seat. I rolled down the window slightly to get a whiff of the fresh air.

"It'll get a bit more populated once we reach the town," responded Eli cheerfully. "It doesn't look like this everywhere in Forks, I promise."

"I'll believe it when I see it," I stated.

Eli glanced in the rearview mirror to make eye contact with Charlotte before speaking. "Before we get to the town, there's something that I want to discuss with both of you."

I watched as his hands tightly clenched the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "We're listening."

"I know that neither of you wanted to be here," he started. "I didn't want to move either. We all had a life back home, but now it's time for us to start a new life. We're going to do our best to make a home here."

Eli had so many responsibilities on his shoulders that it was sometimes easy to forget that he was only twenty-four and struggling to raise a sickly teenager and a quickly growing adolescent that had suddenly been thrust into his lap. He had things that he wanted to do with his life – dreams and fantasies and expectations of a life that would be a lot different than the one we were living now. But all of those dreams had been crushed, and I couldn't blame him for wanting to have a new start.

I leaned my head against the headrest of my seat and waited for him to continue.

"I know it's going to be hard and that it's going to be a struggle," he said. "But I think that this will be good for us. Annie, you have your new doctor, and you both get to go to new schools."

I cringed inwardly. The thought of having to go to a brand new school for the end of my high school career was not very pleasant.

"The three of us have a chance to be a family again, so I really think that we should count our blessings. I want full cooperation from the both of you. What are we?"

"A team," Charlotte and I answered simultaneously, sounding a bit robotic.

"Exactly," Eli confirmed. "We're a team."

Taking a deep breath, I nodded in confirmation. If he wanted me to be brave and deal with their situation, then that is exactly what I would do. I would smile and laugh like normal, despite the fact that my insides were literally attempting to kill her.

If he wanted teamwork, then by God, that's exactly what he would get.

* * *

_Swan Residence, Forks, Washington:_

About half an hour away, Seth Clearwater was falling asleep at the kitchen table in Charlie Swan's house, where he was having dinner with the police chief and his mother. Seth rested his head on his hand, slowly feeling his eyes blinking shut as his mother and Charlie chattered on about something that he didn't care about.

"So tell me about this new Deputy," Sue said, taking a bite of the chicken she had cooked.

"New deputy?" Seth mumbled questioningly, his interest slightly peaked despite his exhaustion. It wasn't often that new and interesting things happened in Forks or La Push, so he took the excitement when it came without complaint.

Charlie nodded as he took a sip of his drink. "Moving up here from Louisiana. I think he's coming with his two younger siblings. Don't know much about him except that he had to take his siblings in recently because their parents passed away."

"How old are his sisters?" his mother asked.

"I think he said twelve and seventeen," Charlie stated, rubbing his chin. "Don't really remember, to be honest."

Seth watched as his mother picked up his empty plate and took it over to the sink with her own and Charlie's. She tsked. "Such a shame. They're so young."

He knew exactly how it felt to lose a parent at such a young age, so he could relate.

"Are they going to Forks high?" he asked curiously.

"I'm sure that the oldest is, but I'm assuming the twelve-year old is going to the elementary school."

"You should invite them over for dinner sometime," Sue stated cheerfully. "As a welcome to Forks type of thing."

Charlie and Seth exchanged glances.

"I don't know, Sue," Charlie said slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Nonsense," the older woman continued, making Seth roll his eyes. His mother was certainly a force to be reckoned with; and Charlie, who was completely smitten, didn't stand a chance against her. "It'll be nice. It's not the best being new in a strange town and not knowing anyone."

"Bella seemed to do just fine," Charlie pointed out. Then he muttered, "Even got herself a husband out of the deal."

Seth covered his mouth as he choked back a laugh.

"But these people aren't Bella," Sue insisted. "This wasn't the first time that Bella came here, and she _knew_ people. They – what's his name?"

"Elijah Stratford. He said that people call him Eli."

"Well, Eli Stratford and his sisters have never been here before and they don't know anyone. You're the Sheriff, Charlie. You're supposed to make people feel safe and welcome."

"Yes, but I'm not the welcoming committee, Sue," Charlie pointed out, leaning back in his chair.

As his mother turned to glare, Seth finally let out the chuckle he had been holding in. "You might as well just give in, Charlie. She's not going to let this go."

He waved a hand, as if to deem the subject closed. "Fine, I'll talk to him when he starts work on Monday. Are you happy?"

"Delighted," said Sue, giving a cheerful smile. "And of course," she continued, looking right at Seth, "I fully expect you and your sister to be here and be presentable. Who knows? You might make a new friend."

Not wanting to hurt his mother's feelings with the fact that a lack of friends was _definitely _not a problem in his life, he kept quiet. _If anything_, he said to himself bitterly, thinking of the pack, _I have too many friends, as it is._

"Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered. Seth would most certainly be there; he would never dare to disappoint his mother.

"You said they were from Louisiana?" she asked.

Charlie nodded in confirmation.

"Hm," she said thoughtfully, "I wonder if they would like Harry's fish fry. Louisiana is really big on their seafood. Think that would be appropriate?"

Seth stood up and stretched, before walking over to kiss his mother on the cheek. "I'm sure they'll love whatever you cook," he complimented. "And sorry to cut this short, but I really need to head to work."

The two adults exchanged a look. They both knew that Seth didn't have an actual job.

"Okay, sweetheart," Sue said. "Do you know how late you're going to be? Because you need to get some sleep, Seth. You look terrible."

He didn't have the heart to tell her that falling asleep wasn't really the problem. For some reason, every time he drifted off into dreamland, he was plagued with horrible nightmares that he couldn't remember once he woke up. Normally the lack of sleep wouldn't bother him, but people were starting to notice.

"I won't be too late, mom. I promise," he reassured. "Maybe a little after midnight. Oh, and Leah should be getting home in about an hour, so she'll be there whenever you get back to La Push."

Sue accepted this answer, knowing fully that it was the best she was going to get. "Okay, well be safe then."

"Always," he said, giving her one of his famous smiles.

After waving a quick goodbye to Charlie, he was out the door and heading towards the trees, stripping out of his clothes as he went and hoping that no passersby were looking out of their windows to get a free peep show.

_Hey, dude. _Embry's voice asked. _How was lunch?_

_It was good, _Seth responded, heading in the direction of his hometown. His paws pounded comfortingly against the grass, and he was happy to have something familiar to enjoy in his strange life. _Nothing interesting, really._

Embry was quiet for a while, before – _New family moving in? Let's hope it isn't another 'Bella Debacle.'_

Despite his wonderful relationship with the Cullen's, Seth whole-heartedly agreed. _None of us need any of that ever again._

_Damn straight._

And with that, all thoughts of the upcoming dinner were wiped completely out of his mind.

_Oh, by the way, _said Embry. _Before I forget, the guys were planning on going to play some football at the beach tomorrow. You in?_

He didn't have anything better to do, and Embry knew it. _Sure, sounds like fun._

Ah, football. Maybe it would be the distraction that he had been searching for.

* * *

_Stratford Residence, Forks, Washington:_

The new house was two stories tall, but was still slightly small. Overgrown vines and moss crawled up the sides of the house and wrapped around the poles that kept up the weather-beaten porch. Weeds spread throughout the entire yard, and the house would be a pure and shining white if it weren't completely covered in a thin layer of dirt.

"You're kidding me," I stated bluntly, watching as my brother pulled our luggage out of the trunk of the rental car. "_This _is where we're living?"

"Come on," Eli urged, waving a hand at the house proudly. "It's nice. Vintage, like the plantation houses back home."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Just not as large," he continued, "and a little less clean. Hey, at least it has character, right? Doesn't that count for anything?"

"No. And how the hell are you going to get it clean?" I asked, leaning against the side of the car and staring judgmentally up at the house. "I thought you were going to be busy with work?"

"Not twenty-four hours a day," he said. "I'll have time to do stuff. Won't take long to pressure-wash the walls of the house, and Charlotte can help with dusting and mopping and things like that."

"And me?"

"You're going to help your sister unpack her stuff. Nothing strenuous."

I scoffed.

"I'm serious, Annie," he warned, his tone urgent and stern. "You can't overexert yourself, okay? Especially not once you start your treatment."

I frowned as he picked up the bags and made his way up to the porch with Charlotte trailing hot on his heels. "You can't overexert yourself, Annie," I mocked, imitating his voice, "Not once you start your treatment Annie. We're going to have to treat you like a damn _invalid _for the rest of your _freaking life_, Annie."

Sniffing in distaste, I eyed the house once more. Despite my issues with it – mostly the fact that it wasn't the one we had lived in for years in Louisiana – I had to admit that it was kind of quaint. Plus, it helped that the inside made up for the outside.

"Nice, isn't it?" Eli asked smugly, handing her one of her suitcases. "There are two rooms upstairs, plus a bathroom connecting them. I'm assuming that you and Charlotte will take those. Think you'll be okay with the stairs?"

"I can handle a few stairs," I commented, hoisting the bag over my bony shoulders.

"Well then," he gestured toward the small staircase.

"I want the bigger one!" Charlotte yelled, rushing up the stairs.

Much to Charlotte's disappointment, both of the rooms were about the same size. I trudged up the stairs slowly and settled into the unoccupied room. A large white metal bedframe holding a clean mattress was placed on one side, while a large white dresser was pushed against the opposite wall next to a small closet.

"This is it, Annie," I mumbled to myself, tossing my bag on top of the mattress. "This is your life now."

"Hey," Eli leaned into the room, knocking on the wall to alert me to his presence, "I was thinking about ordering some pizza for supper. You want cheese or pepperoni?"

"Cheese," I answered.

"Gotcha," he stated, pulling his phone from his pocket. "So, nice room, isn't it?"

It really was. The room was both simple, yet elegant, and I felt myself slowly falling in love with it. "It's nice," I shrugged, not wanting to give my brother any satisfaction.

He smiled mischievously. "You love it."

"It's nice," I repeated, unzipping the suitcase. I pulled out my various possessions and slowly put everything away into the drawers and closet.

"I know that we didn't come here in the best of circumstances," Eli started, drumming his fingers against his leg nervously. "But I really want to try to make this work for the three of us."

"I understand," I told him sincerely. "And I'm really grateful for everything that you've done for us. I know Char is, too. You're a good big brother."

He smiled, happy and looking grateful at my words. "That means a lot, Annie. Thank you."

"Anytime."

"And since we did all of this so suddenly and I have to go to work on Monday, why don't we go to the beach tomorrow?" he asked.

My mouth dropped open in awe, but my eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're going to let us go to the beach? What's the catch?"

He nodded, smirking. "No catch. It might be a little too cold to swim, but we can go sit in the sand. And I'm sure Charlotte would like to look for some seashells or something. It'll be fun."

"Sounds good to me."

He was gone a few seconds later and I listened as he trailed down the steps, his voice telling me that he was ordering the pizzas.

I sat on the bed slowly, taking in my new surroundings. "Time for a fresh start, Annie," I murmured to myself.

A fresh start…

It sounded almost… nice.

* * *

**Ten points to anyone who catches the Agents of Shield reference in this chapter.**

**Note: The 'Quarter' that is mentioned in this chapter is a reference to The French Quarter in New Orleans.**

**Once again, this chapter was edited on July 6th, 2014 for grammatical errors.**


	2. Love at First Sight? Eh, Close Enough

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, favorites, and follows!**

**Blue: I'm glad you like the story! You have some really good questions, but they'll all be answered soon :)**

**The quote read by Annie in this chapter is from Victor Hugo's wonderful novel, **_**Les Misérables.**_

* * *

Chapter 2:

"_He was a boy, just a boy, when I was a very young girl. When I was sixteen, I made the discovery – love. All at once and much too completely. It was like you suddenly turned a blinding light onto something that had always been half in shadow; that's how it struck the world for me." – Tennessee Williams, __A Streetcar Named Desire_

_First Beach, La Push, Washington:_

Forks was cold and as it turned out, La Push beach was not much different. With its near constant cover of clouds and rainy weather, many overgrown trees covered much of the landscape around the beach, except for several large areas of sand near the water.

It was near one of those places that Eli, Charlotte, and I made our own little nook to sit in and watch the waves. I laid out on my towel lazily, stretching out on the sand and glad that the rain had apparently taken the day off from its constant drenching of the city. I pulled my long sleeves up toward my hands, jealous of my sibling's healthiness and body mass that helped them combat the chill in the air.

I had a feeling that I knew why my brother was being so nice today. In a little over a week would be our first family outing to the hospital in Port Angeles for treatment. Once the treatment started, there wouldn't be much that I could do without at least a small amount of supervision. This had to be his way of giving a last hurrah before everything changed.

"You okay?" Eli asked, seeing the thoughtful look on my face.

"Just kind of chilly," I reassured, attempting to place a bright smile on my face but it probably turned out to be more of a grimace. "I'll be fine, though. It isn't that bad."

"I brought some extra blankets if you get too cold," he offered, gesturing to the big picnic basket he brought that was almost overflowing with snacks and blankets.

I shook my head. "I'll get one if I need it, but right now I'm fine. Promise."

He didn't look like he believed me, but he thankfully didn't argue. Instead, he leaned back on the sand next to me, watching out over the waves as Charlotte attempted build a small castle in the sand. I picked up my book and flipped through the pages to find the section that I had left off on several nights before.

"Eli," Charlotte asked, crawling over to where my brother was reclined along the sand. She tugged on his jeans as she wondered, "Can we go look for some seashells for my castle?"

The castle looked more like a bunch of clumped sand thrown together haphazardly, but neither Eli nor I said anything about it.

"Sure, Char," he responded, standing and dusting off the sand that was stuck to the back of his jeans. "You'll be okay here while we go walk along the water?"

I waved the two of them away. "Yeah, yeah. Go have fun and look for shells."

"If you're sure," he said, covering his mouth to hide a yawn.

I watched them carefully as they made their way down the beach to my left to look for shells near the water. I could see a few other people farther down the beach – nothing more than specks in the distance – and on my right side was small group of guys tossing a football back and forth. Raucous laughter could be heard even from where I was sitting, but I blocked it out and turned back to the novel in my hands.

I found that I couldn't concentrate on the words on the brittle pages. Instead, I lifted up a hand and rubbed my fingers together. My knuckles were bony and my fingers were thin and freezing; I felt vaguely as if the wind could pick me up any second and carry me away with how light I was. I knew that I had lost a lot of weight over the past few weeks, but it wasn't anything that could be helped. In fact, if I wasn't mistaken, it would probably only get worse as time went on.

Glancing back at my siblings once more, I stretched out on my stomach and let my legs lift themselves into the air, crossing over one another. Even from this distance, I could tell that Eli was tired, more so than usual. I knew that he had been up most of the night cleaning and setting up the rest of the house, eager to get things done and to have the place look a bit more lived in, but I knew that it wasn't at all healthy of him to be running himself ragged. Exhausting himself wouldn't help the situation.

I sighed and forced myself to turn to my book, purposely making my eyes slide over the words on the page. _The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way –_

"Hey, heads up!"

I looked up, startled, and was immediately covered in a layer of sand. I froze, the little grains having been thrown all over my hair and book by an incoming football that had landed less than a foot away and buried itself within Charlotte's sand castle. Pressing my lips together in a thin line, I tipped over my book to let the sand drip back onto the ground, and turned to face the culprit.

* * *

It wasn't often that Seth was able to hang out with Jacob much anymore unless Nessie was there with them, but today was one of the rare days that Jacob had graciously made the time to hang out with him, Embry, Collin, Brady, and Quil (who had reluctantly left Claire with Emily so that the pair could go and visit their relatives up at the Makah Reservation for the day.)

Not that Seth had anything against Claire _or _Nessie, but it was nice to have some guy time every once in a while without worrying about 'the whipped jackass side of the guys' as Collin had so quaintly put it. Seth didn't blame the guys; imprinting was a certainly wondrous marvel to behold. If he had that happiness for himself, he wouldn't want to let it go, either.

Even though he was excited to hang out with his friends, Seth had to admit that something was strange. Not exactly bad, per say, but off. Odd. He had been feeling that way all morning, and the feeling had just gotten stronger as the day went by.

He just didn't know what it was.

Jacob clapped him on his back, startling him out of his thoughts. "You okay, man? You're kind of out of it today."

"Just tired," Seth admitted. It wasn't exactly a lie. He hadn't had much time to sleep the previous night, having been on patrol a lot longer than he had originally expected, and then having to wake up early to help his mother with a few things around the house.

"Nightmares coming back?" Jacob asked, his voice quiet.

Weeks ago, Seth had confided in Jacob about the odd dreams he had been having, but Jacob had no idea what to tell Seth about his troubles. Either way, Seth felt better after talking to his Alpha, and had to admit that he was grateful to Jacob for trying to help and letting him talk through his nightmares – at least, what he could remember of them, which wasn't much. "Yeah."

Jacob ruffled his hair comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Seth. I'm sure it's nothing. Just don't worry about it."

How could he just not worry about it? "I'll do my best," he answered, trying to give a bright smile.

Jacob smiled back. "Now come on, we're getting our asses kicked here with you daydreaming."

Football had done well for helping Seth to distract himself, but there was only so much distraction until his mind started drifting off again. After all, the sport was pretty mindless once you got in the rhythm of it, and Seth had other more important things on his mind that made his thoughts fly in several different directions, until –

"Hey, heads up!" called Brady, having thrown the football a little too hard. It trailed over Seth's head, along the beach and landed a bit away from a random beachgoer, and she didn't look too happy at being drenched in sand.

"I'll get it," he told the guys, jogging over to where the girl was shaking sand out of her book and her dull and limp honey-blonde hair. "Hey, I'm so sorry about that," he started, as he came forward to retrieve the ball. "They don't really pay attention to where… they're… throwing?"

At first, he did not realize what had happened. One minute he was smiling apologetically and leaning down to retrieve the football, and the next he was looking into the most beautiful stormy gray eyes he had ever seen in his life.

Suddenly his entire world revolved around this one girl in front of him. It was as if a string had tied its way around his heart and was pulling him straight for her; as if everything he had once known had turned out to be a lie, but this girl kept all the answers that he needed locked away inside her soul.

Holy shit, he had imprinted.

A rush of utter elation flew throughout his veins, and he knew that his joy probably showed in his every movement. Seth felt himself smiling so widely that he thought it was very possible that his cheeks would crack, and he unabashedly studied the girl's features. Her nose was small and her cheeks were sunken in, as if she had lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time. Her eyes were light and gorgeous, her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and she was thin - _very _thin, as if she could be broken if he touched her too harshly.

The very thought of hurting her made him wince, and he stared down into her eyes. But… wait. Seth knew his own face showed his elation and excitement, but her own eyes showed an emotion he did not expect to see.

Confusion? No.

Adoration and love? No, but he sure as hell wished that was what she was feeling.

Her emotions were more along the line of… anger? Yes, that was it. Anger.

_Oh, shit._

"Have you lost your mind?" she asked, standing up to her full height. Seth tried not to show his amusement at her height – or lack of height. She had to have been an average 5'6", still much shorter than his 6'2", but he didn't care. She was _wonderful_, she was _his_, and she was _perfect_ just the way she was.

Of course, she obviously didn't have similar feelings at the moment.

"Can't you people watch where the hell you're throwing things?"

_Okay, Seth, _he thought to himself urgently. _You don't even know her name and you're already screwing up. What can you do to fix this? _"Uh…"

_Very eloquent, Clearwater._

She scoffed and rubbed her arms self-consciously at his constant staring. She moved around her little nest and gathered up her blanket and basket. "What, cat got your tongue?" she mocked, shoving the book and blanket in the basket.

It wasn't until she started trailing off down the beach in the opposite direction that Seth found his voice and the ability to move again. "W-wait!" He found himself jogging forward and pushing himself in front of her to stop her from moving away from him anymore. "I'm so so _so _sorry," he babbled, urgent and concerned. "My friend wasn't watching where he was throwing, and none of us were really paying much attention, and I'm just really _so_ sorry. Did we ruin your book? I could buy you another one to replace it, if you want," he offered nervously.

Her eyes seemed to soften slightly at his horrified and apologetic tone. "It's okay, really. No harm done." She moved around him, giving him a wide berth. "Excuse me, I have to go –"

"No!"

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't slow her pace.

_Damn it, Seth, you're acting like a freak._

"I mean, I just… What's your name?" he asked desperately, knowing that he was making a complete fool of himself.

For a second, he thought that she wouldn't answer, but then – "Annie."

"Annie," he repeated slowly, testing how the name felt in his mouth. His smile returned in full force, and he held out his hand for her to shake. "Seth Clearwater."

Annie didn't reach out to take his hand, but opened her mouth to respond. "Nice meeting you, but I really have to go."

"Hold on!" he urged, following after her once more.

She stopped and turned back to him expectantly, tapping her foot on the sand. "Yes?"

"Can I get your phone number?" he asked hopefully, unsure where his sudden bravery had come from but thanking the Spirits for it nonetheless.

Her expression went through several phases. She squinted her features in a frustrated manner before she blushed, her face turning bright red. Annie, _his Annie, _shook her head, laughed breathlessly, and slowly backed away a few steps, eager to get to wherever she was going. "You might be a crazy person; I'm not going to give you my number."

His disappointment must have been plain on his face, because she continued, "Besides, you don't want my number."

Seth had a brief moment of confusion. Was she out of her mind? She was gorgeous, obviously smart judging by the huge book she was reading, and overall perfection. Why _wouldn't _he want to talk to her again? "What? Why wouldn't I?"

Annie gave him a bitter smile. "Trust me, I'm not worth the time." She hoisted the basket higher on her arm, gave a slight wave, and turned away once more. Seth watched, distraught, as she made her way down the beach and stopped to talk to a tall man and a young girl. The trio made their way down the beach, even farther away from him.

Seth felt his heart break into a bunch of tiny pieces.

"What the hell are you doing?" Collin asked as the rest of the guys jogged up to him. "Who was that?"

Seth couldn't bring himself to speak; instead, he stared in the direction where the girl of his dreams had just left, not even bothering to glance back.

Jacob was the first to notice that something was wrong. "Seth? What happened?"

"I…" he swallowed against the lump in his throat. "I think I just met my soul mate and I don't even know her last name."

* * *

_Stratford Residence, Forks, Washington:_

The next few days passed by without any major incidents. Eli spent most of the days leading up to his first day of work cleaning the house, visiting car dealerships in Port Angeles for a new vehicle, stocking up the refrigerator, and moving around furniture. Charlotte kept to her room a lot, moping about how she wanted to go back home. Neither of us blamed her; we craved our hometown, too.

I, on the other hand, had never felt such a combination of determination, exhaustion, and confusion; and it all started that day on the beach when I met… What was his name?

Seth. Seth Clearwater. The muscular and cheerful native.

I didn't bother telling Eli about my run-in with the random guy whose friends had accidentally thrown sand all over me. There was no need in making him worry about someone that I was probably never going to see ever again.

Even so, it was hard to get the thought of him out of my head; this random boy who had taken me by utter surprise. _Especially_ since he had asked for my phone number; and by God did I want to give it to him even though it was completely possible that he was a psychopath. I knew it was pointless, though. Just by the look of him, I could tell that he could quite easily get any girl that he wanted – _stable _and _healthy _girls with more than a 50% survival rate. That was the kind of girl he needed.

I had told myself long before the move that if the opportunity arose, I would deny myself any chance at close friendships and relationships, just as a precaution. There was no reason to put anyone else through the pain of loss, should the treatment not work. I already had Eli and Charlotte to worry about; other people would just be more pain.

I just didn't realize how much it would hurt to deny some random guy I met on the beach.

I shook my head. "Come on, Annie, stop thinking about him. Don't regret what you did. It was for the best," I urged myself, speaking aloud. But for some reason, I felt that it _wasn't _for the best. My heart clenched and my chest felt tight every time I thought about him.

A knock sounded on my bedroom door. "Annie," started Charlotte, poking her head into the room, "can you help me make a sandwich, please? I can't reach the plates."

"Sure, Char," I answered, rolling myself out of bed. I kept one hand tight on the railing and my other on Charlotte's shoulder as we trailed our way down the stairs.

"When is Eli coming home?" Charlotte asked, hopping down the stairs playfully.

"He gets off at five, I think, so he should be on his way home any minute now," I reassured, patting my younger sister on the head. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and pressed a hand to my stomach. I felt a bit winded just from the slow climb down the stairs, but I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and made my way over to the kitchen. "What kind of sandwich do you want?"

"Turkey and cheese," Charlotte replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table, kicking her feet back and forth rather impatiently. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine." I honestly wasn't sure how I felt. Something was… off. I had felt strange ever since that day at the beach, but the feeling had only gotten stronger as time had passed.

"Oh, okay."

Bless the short attention spans of little children. "So, school is coming up in a few months. Are you excited?" I asked conversationally, placing two pieces of bread on a plate. I dug around in the fridge for the meat and cheese, smiling weakly when Charlotte crinkled her nose.

"Do I have to go to school?" she asked.

"Of course you have to go to school!" I urged. "You have to learn stuff so you can go to high school and college."

"Are _you_ going to college after high school?" Charlotte asked curiously.

I froze, the cheese in my hand hovering limply over the bread. To be honest, I hadn't thought about it. For so long there had been so many other things that were much more important than college, but now that the question was smack dab in my face, I wasn't even sure if I should apply. It would be pointless if the treatment didn't take effect.

There it was again: the treatment. It was as if it had taken over my life, guiding my every action and decision.

"Annie?"

A pair of headlights in the window saved me from having to answer. "Looks like Eli just got home."

Sure enough, several seconds later large footsteps were heard on the front porch.

"Guys, I'm home!" he called out, jiggling his key out of the doorknob. "Hey," he greeted, tossing his keys on the kitchen table.

"How was it?" I asked curiously, placing Charlotte's sandwich on the table in front of her. I leaned against the kitchen counter, watching as my brother sat in one of the chairs in front of me.

He smiled. "It was pretty awesome," he admitted, tossing a pile of clothes onto the table. "It's a good place to work. Plus, the Chief is pretty cool. Quiet, but really nice."

"What's that?" Charlotte gestured to the clothes, her mouth half full of food.

"My new uniform," he answered proudly. "And don't talk with food in your mouth, Char."

"Nice," I said. "Do you want me to wash them for you?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I can do it."

I raised an eyebrow, picking up the stack of pants and shirts. "You sure about that? These are white shirts. The last time I let you wash a load of whites you turned everything multi-colored."

He winced, and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, you can go ahead and wash them then."

"That's what I thought," I commented, taking the clothes towards the laundry room to get ready to wash.

Suddenly, Eli cleared his throat. "So there's something I need to ask you about."

"What?" I called back, setting the clothes on the machine.

"Chief Swan invited us all over for dinner at his place tomorrow night. Just to welcome us to town."

"That was nice of him," I stated simply. "You and Char will have fun, I'm sure."

"That _includes _you, Annie," Eli replied sternly. "His girlfriend will be there, along with her two kids, apparently. They're making fish fry; apparently it's some special recipe or something."

I snorted, hands on my hips. "Oh, please. Whatever fish fry they make won't be able to compare to what we've had back home. Besides, you know I can't eat greasy food anymore."

"They're just trying to be nice," he argued back. "It's just a one-time thing, so it won't cause you any major harm. I need you and your sister to come with me to this dinner; be nice and charming, then you can come back here and never leave the house again for all I care. Just _please._ I already told him that you would be coming."

I gaped, disbelieving. "Now why would you go and do an idiot thing like that?"

Eli threw up his hands. "He's my boss, Annie. What was I supposed to tell him? No?"

"_Yes_!"

He gave me a sour look, while Charlotte happily continued chomping on her sandwich, oblivious. "You're going. End of story. So save yourself the energy from a temper tantrum and just grin and bear it."

I didn't reply. Instead I chose to, rather childishly, stomp my way up the stairs to my bedroom where I harshly slammed the door shut for good measure.

I didn't know why I was acting like this. It wasn't that I hated people; in fact, I loved them, despite my shyness and nervous demeanor during first meetings. It was just that ever since I had found out that I was sick, I tended to shy away from people. Once they found out the truth, they started treating me different. As if I was fragile. Or ignorant.

It was enough to drive anyone crazy, and it had certainly put me through hell several times with the friends at my former school, my former teachers, and even the staff at the hospital. They had all treated me different and it was a constant reminder that I would probably never be the same. Eli was just forcing me into that situation once again, where I would have to smile politely and pretend that everything was right in the world.

And I was tired, _so tired, _of pretending that everything was okay.


	3. Heart, Don't Fail Me Now

**This chapter is actually mostly Seth's point of view, so we get a little perspective on what he's thinking at the moment. I apologize if he's a little OOC.**

**Also, sorry if anyone got two updates for this chapter - I reposted chapter one to fix some grammatical errors that were bugging me.**

* * *

Chapter 3:

"_Albert Camus said, 'Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken.' But I wonder; if there's no breaking then there's no healing. And if there's no healing, then there's no learning. And if there's no learning, then there's no struggle. But struggle is a part of life. So must all hearts be broken?" – Lucas Scott, __One Tree Hill_

_Clearwater Residence, La Push, Washington:_

The dream came in vivid Technicolor.

He was running in his wolf form; he didn't know where he was going, or if he was running from something or to something, but he knew for a fact that he couldn't stop. Stopping meant that she would be hurt, and if she were hurt then he would never forgive himself.

He pushed himself faster, his limbs straining as his paws beat against the harshly packed dirt of the forest floor. He could smell it from miles away: a sickeningly sweet bleach-like scent intermingled with the lovely smell of baking sugar cookies_._

_Vampire._

_**Near his Annie.**_

He let out a growl at the very thought of his imprint being in danger, almost stumbling but managing to catch himself at the last moment.

A few more seconds, and –

Ah! There she was!

In the middle of a small portion of the forest between two trees, where the ground had been cleared away, Annie rested, apparently unconscious. Her hair partially covered her face, and the smell of vampire covered her entire body.

There seemed to be no immediate threat around, so he slowly made his way toward her, ready to pounce at any sudden movement along the tree line. He nudged her head with his muzzle and whimpered; moving her hair out of her face with his nose and searching for any obvious injuries, Seth licked her cheek, urging her to wake up.

And she did.

He let out a breath of relief as her eyes blinked open…

But they were bright red.

Seth shot up in his bed, tangled in his blankets. He was sweating profusely, his chest was heaving, and his heart was racing fast. Pushing his hair back from his sweaty forehead, he flopped back down onto his bed.

As always, he didn't remember the dream.

* * *

Seth could not express in words how much he didn't want to get out of bed.

He had not seen his imprint in almost four days. Four _very long _days that seemed like an eternity, where he unintentionally made the lives of his mother and sister a living hell.

He had spent the first day and a half looking for her, with no luck. None of the guys in the pack had ever seen her before, and it was obvious that she wasn't native. He had even gone so far as to ask the Cullen's, giving Edward a clear and concise picture of the girl with desperate hopes that one of them knew who she was, while Jacob resisted the urge to laugh hysterically from somewhere behind him while he played a game with Nessie.

Sadly, while they were all very happy and excited that he had found his imprint, none of them had recognized his descriptions of her.

After two days had passed, he had resigned himself to being completely miserable, wanting to live the rest of his life alone and safe in the confines of his bed. It was fitting, he supposed, that he would imprint on someone who was just passing through on a vacation. That was probably why she had denied him her phone number; she had known that she would not be here for long.

His attitude had taken a turn for the worst and he was so unlike himself that his poor mother – despite the fact that she was giddy with excitement – started to seriously worry about his mental state. Of course, Leah didn't pity him in the slightest, and wasn't in the mood to deal with his bullshit.

"Alright, that is _it!_" His bedroom door crashed open and slammed against the wall as it swung inward. Leah flipped on the light switch, flooding the room in a layer of brightness.

He groaned and mumbled something unintelligible, flopping over onto his stomach and burying his face pitifully into his pillow. His pillow was suddenly pulled from under his head, and his blankets were pulled off of his torso.

"Seth, this is ridiculous."

"Go away, Leah," he grumbled, pressing himself into his mattress, as if he could sink right into its fluffy comfort and never come out again.

She scoffed, pushing aside the curtain and opening the window to clear out his stuffy and stale bedroom. "You're literally making a pathetic fool out of yourself. Do you want me to get Jacob over here to forcibly remove you from the room?"

He grunted, not caring either way.

"So here's what's going to happen," she started.

Seth resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Frankly, you're scaring the shit out of me _and _mom. Like I know you imprinted and all but holy hell, Seth. This is ridiculous. It isn't the end of the world."

He felt a flash of anger rush through him, and suddenly he was flipped over and sitting up straight. "I love her, Leah and I have no idea where she is! Of course it's the end of the world; it's the end of _my _world! She's probably halfway across the country right now, and I'll never see my soul mate ever again!"

Leah's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and the expression on her face would have been humorous if the circumstances weren't so tense. "_Would you __**listen **__to yourself?_"

He spoke without thinking, his tone sharp and hurtful. "Just because you're still moaning about Sam doesn't mean that no one else feels pain, Leah!" Seth regretted the words the second they were out of his mouth. He knew they weren't true; while still hurt by Sam's betrayal, he was sure that Leah had gotten over Sam, despite the bitterness that remained. Either way, his words cut deep, and he knew it.

Leah closed her eyes, her fists shaking in her rage. Several seconds passed, and Seth waited for the bomb to drop.

"Leah, I didn't –"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," she burst out, interrupting his apology. "What you're going to do is get up, go take a shower because you smell like you spent the last few days dumpster diving, go apologize to mom for being a complete jackass the past four days, and then get ready for dinner at Charlie's tonight. _Now._"

He nodded miserably, climbing off of his bed, over piles of clothes in his messy room, and past his sister.

Seth knew he was acting ridiculous; he knew he was being a jerk. He knew that it wasn't the end of the world, that time would still pass by even though he was unhappy, and the sun would still rise, the waves would still hit the shore on First Beach… But it still felt as if his world was crumbling around him.

The string that had tied itself around his heart painfully tugged in several different directions, and he scratched at his chest harshly as the hot water from the shower dripped over his dirty skin.

If this was imprinting, then it certainly wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

He was tired, pained, and aggravated, all because he had seen and lost the girl who was destined to be his soul mate in less than a few hours. It was pathetic, really. Why should he get his own happy ending?

He turned off the water faucet and shook the water out of his hair with his hand. He blindly grabbed for a towel and wrapped it around his waist, before wiping off the fog from the mirror over the sink.

Seth knew he had to have looked terrible, but seeing it for himself was something of a shock. Dark circles ran around his drooping eyes; his shoulders were slumped, showing just how pained he was. He rolled his shoulders back and held himself up straight, eager to have some sense of normalcy in his life.

_Come on, Seth. Get it together, _he thought to himself urgently. _This isn't you._

But it was. This was who he was now.

Seth Clearwater: the boy who lost his imprint.

* * *

_La Push Road, La Push, Washington:_

Seth could think of five hundred things he would rather be doing, and peeling potatoes was not one of them.

His apology to his mother had gone as well as could be expected with Leah standing right behind him watching his every move. Teary-eyed, his mother had gratefully accepted his apology, told her how sorry she was that he couldn't find his imprint and that things would turn better soon, and then subsequently smacked him upside the head.

"Seth if you ever do something like this ever again, I swear you'll be grounded for the rest of your life," she had threatened.

"I won't, I promise. I'm so sorry."

It hadn't been hard for him to admit that he was wrong; he knew that he was the one at fault. But now, it seemed that his kind apology was a signal to his mother that he was in the mood to help her cook.

"Why don't you just make Leah help?" he asked.

His mother looked insulted from where she was chopping the potatoes into long strips as Seth handed them to her. "I thought you liked helping me cook?"

"Peeling potatoes isn't exactly cooking, mom," he responded tiredly, picking up another from the bag. The peelings flew into the garbage can, making little thumps as they fell. "And I'm not really in a cooking mood at the moment."

"It'll help get your mind off things," she argued.

Not really. To Seth, cooking was a lot like football. Once you got into the swing of things, it was a bit mindless and it let your thoughts wander. Wandering thoughts was the last thing he needed at the moment. "Whatever you say," he murmured.

"That should be enough," Sue said, gesturing to the vegetable in his hand. "After that, would you mind taking out the garbage? Then we'll head over to Charlie's."

"You aren't going to cook it here?" he asked, stretching out his long legs.

"Nope," she answered, "might as well cook it over there. Don't want things to get cold."

Seth knew it was probably just an excuse to spend more time with Charlie, but he didn't argue with her. If his mother was happy, who was he to complain?

"Is that what you're wearing?" his mother asked, appalled.

For a second, Seth thought that she was talking about him. He looked down at the jeans and plain polo shirt he was wearing, curious as to why she would complain – she should be grateful for the fact that he had even decided to wear a shirt. But then, he realized that she wasn't talking to him, but to the person standing behind him.

"No," Leah's voice announced, "I'm going to go take a shower and change. Are we heading out soon?"

"Maybe about twenty minutes, so make it quick."

A little over half an hour later, the trio piled themselves into Sue's car and drove off toward Forks.

"What time are they supposed to be getting there?" Leah asked, turning to look at her mother in the driver's seat.

"Charlie said he told Eli about 7:00, so sometime around then."

"I hope they aren't late," Seth grumbled, still fighting the urge to jump out the car and run back home to his bed where he could peacefully wallow in his own self-pity.

Both Leah and his mother glared at him in the rearview mirror.

"You are going to behave yourself, do you hear me?" Sue asked sternly. "You're going to be your usual smiling and cheerful self, and talk and laugh like everything is okay. One of the girls going is about your age, so who knows? You might hit it off!"

Seth seriously doubted it, but he was grateful to his mother for trying. "I'll be nice, I promise. See?" He gave them both a huge and obviously forced grin, making his sister roll her eyes.

"He's starting to worry me," his mother commented, glancing at Leah.

"He has _always_ worried me," Leah agreed. "Didn't you say that dad dropped him on his head when he was a baby a few times?"

"I'm right here, you know," Seth stated, "just in case you both forgot."

"You know," Leah continued, as if Seth hadn't even opened his mouth, "if he didn't get out of his bed, I was _this _close to calling Jacob and staging an intervention with the rest of the pack."

"Though he may not show it often, your brother can be as stubborn as you are; that's a trait you both inherited from your father," Sue responded, shaking her head a bit. "An intervention wouldn't have done much."

"It would have if we had thrown him off a cliff," his sister muttered.

"Leah!" Sue sighed. "Have you seen what she looks like?"

"She's gorgeous," Seth piped in from the backseat.

"I haven't seen her," Leah replied. "Haven't phased to see her in Seth's thoughts yet, but I'm sure the next time we phase together I'll get a play by play of every single short and fleeting moment he spent with her."

"I hope she didn't move away," his mother said slowly, her voice trailing off. "I wonder if she just –" Suddenly, she gasped and the car swerved slightly towards the oncoming traffic.

Leah put a hand on her mother's arm after the car had been righted into its correct lane. "Are you okay?"

Sue's smile was enough to rival the one that used to constantly adorn her son's face. "I'm absolutely perfect."

Seth and Leah exchanged a glance.

"You almost swerved into the other lane, mom."

Sue just laughed. "I'm okay, I swear. I just had a random thought, that's all."

"Care to share with the rest of the group?" Seth asked.

Sue waved a hand in the air, deeming the subject closed from further discussion. "It's nothing. Besides, we'll find out if I'm right in about an hour or so."

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

"What did you say her name was, again?" Sue asked.

"Annie," Seth and Leah replied simultaneously.

Sue nodded, her smile bright and mischievous.

Leah shrugged at her mother's behavior as the two started discussing his most recent behavior once more.

Seth could only sigh. It was obvious that his mother and sister had all but forgotten that he was even in the car.

It was at times like these that he wished his dad were still alive. If he were here, he would know just what to say. He would be reassuring and give him good advice on how to make the best out of a very horrible situation.

But since he wasn't, Seth did the only thing he could do: grin and bear it.

* * *

_Swan Residence, Forks, Washington:_

Dressed to kill in a pair of my nicest fairly fitting jeans and a loose purple blouse, I felt a bit as if I was about to face the firing squad. I held tightly to the apple pie that I made as a show of solidarity to Eli, hoping that I wouldn't have the urge to throw it into my brother's face before it could be enjoyed.

"Not too late to turn back," I hissed, bouncing back and forth on the balls of my feet. "We can turn around right now and there will be no harm done."

Eli gave me a sour look, rapping his knuckles against the white screen door. "Be nice; remember what I told you."

"Just a second!" a female voice called out from somewhere in the house.

"I'm not saying I won't be nice, I'm saying I don't want to –"

"Hi!" A smiling native woman with long straight hair had appeared at the screen door. "You must be Eli Stratford!" She pushed open the door, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. Her smile never left her face as she spoke.

"And you must be Sue. It's nice to meet you," Eli responded, giving her a cheerful smile as he shook her hand. "These are my sisters, Annie and Charlotte."

If anything, Sue's smile widened as her kind brown eyes settled on me. "It's so nice to finally meet the three of you. Come in, come in!"

Charlie Swan's house was small and quaint, just like the one that Eli had already started to call 'home.' The kitchen cabinets were painted a dull yellow color, as if someone had wanted to bring some kind of sunshine into the room but ultimately failed, an old wooden table was pushed up to one side of the kitchen near the window where a tall and intimidating girl sat, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. The smell of frying fish wafted from the stove, making my stomach grumble.

"This is my daughter Leah," Sue said, gesturing to the girl.

Leah gave a slight wave in greeting.

"Leah," Sue continued, "This is Eli, Charlotte, and _Annie._"

Leah frowned at her mother's obvious emphasis on my name; her eyes widened then narrowed, shooting to where I stood hiding slightly behind my brother. Leah Clearwater was obviously an athletic woman with her gorgeously exotic and mysterious features, her eyes dark and threatening. She was intimidating enough as she was, but her studying stare was enough to make me wish that I could crawl into a hole and never come out again. I turned my gaze away from her, staring at a spot of dust near the refrigerator.

"It was nice of you to invite us," Eli stated, oblivious to the tension as he pushed me forward. "And my sister made apple pie for dessert, if that's alright, as a thank you for inviting us."

"How thoughtful!" Sue exclaimed, graciously taking the pie from my hands and placing it on the kitchen counter. "Do you like to bake?"

I was very tempted to sarcastically say, _No, I hate baking; I just made the pie for kicks_, but knew that the subsequent glare that I would no doubt receive from Eli would be enough to make me cringe. "Yes, ma'am," I replied instead, gently elbowing my brother. "I'm the main cook in our house since my brother doesn't know his way around a stove."

Sue laughed. "I know the feeling. Leah can't cook to save her life," she joked.

Leah, who had finally stopped staring and now had a blank expression on her face as she stared out the window, didn't even look up when her name was mentioned.

"But my son," Sue continued, "he always enjoyed being in the kitchen when he was a kid. He loves cooking, mostly because he loves to eat."

I forced a smile on my face but luckily was saved from speaking when Eli opened his mouth. "Where is your son?" he asked conversationally. "I thought he was coming."

"He's in the living room with Charlie," she said, rolling her eyes. "Some game on TV that they wanted to watch. Boys!" she called out, "We have company!"

Charlie was the first to enter the kitchen. "Eli, glad you could make it," he greeted, giving Eli a strong handshake.

"It's nice to see you, too. Thanks again for inviting us."

"And these must be your sisters?" he asked, holding out a hand for me to shake. "Charlie Swan."

"Annie Stratford," I replied, shaking the chief's hand. "And this is Charlotte," I said, gesturing to the little girl who had grabbed onto the back of my jeans the second we stepped foot around strangers. "Sorry, she's a bit shy. Say hello, Char."

Charlotte wiggled her little fingers in a wave. "Hi."

Charlie laughed, smiling down at her. He knelt down to her height and said, "You know, my granddaughter is about your age. She couldn't make it over here today with her parents, but I'm she'd love to meet you someday. How does that sound?"

Charlotte smiled, nodding into my leg.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," Charlie said, standing up to his full height before going to take a seat near Leah. "Sue's been talking about it all day."

Sue scowled playfully, wagging a finger at Charlie. "Best to leave some things left to the imagination, Charlie. Now where's Seth? Is he still in the living room."

"Right here, mom."

I frowned. That voice sounded familiar.

"Sorry, I just wanted to catch the few seconds before the commercial. I – IT'S YOU!" His shout was loud and made most of the people in the kitchen flinch.

Seth Clearwater stood there in Chief Swan's kitchen, his mouth open in awe as he stared at me. Surprising everyone, especially me, he reached out and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.

_What. The. Hell._

I awkwardly patted his back and gently pushed my fists against his chest, shoving him away when he didn't immediately release me. I wiggled my fingers in a slight wave as I took a step backwards, awkwardly shifting back and forth on the balls of my feet. "Uh, hey again."

"Seth, where are your manners? Don't scare the poor girl." Sue asked, hands on her hips menacingly though her eyes were twinkling.

"You two know each other?" Eli asked, frowning in confusion.

"Yeah," I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. "We met the other day on the beach, but only for like two seconds."

_But,_ I noted to myself, _he sure as hell doesn't look like he did when I first met him_. It was like he hadn't slept in days; his eyes had sunken into his skull and now they were surrounded by deep smudges. The flash of sadness and pain that I had seen a flash of on his face had disappeared though, being replaced by joy, elation, and relief. His smile was blinding, showing a row of straight white teeth, and I found myself unabashedly smiling back at him.

Oh, boy.

I was in trouble.

* * *

**Kind of disappointed in the lack of reviews last chapter. Keep in mind that feedback is what keeps this story going, so please review and let me know what you like about the chapter/story!**

**If you don't have anything to say about the story, then answer this: Who is your favorite La Push wolf?**


	4. That Seth Kid Is Kind of A Weirdo

**Longest chapter yet at over five thousand words! Enjoy and please review!**

**Note: All of the desserts that Annie talks about in this chapter _are_ real and I definitely recommend them if you have the chance to try them. Also, I don't live in Washington so I'm not sure how familiar they are with the concept of pecan pie for Christmas (since it is primarily a southern cuisine,) which is why I put it into this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 4:

"_I have found the paradox: that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." – Mother Teresa_

_Swan Residence, Forks, Washington:_

I had said from the very beginning that this dinner was going to be a bad idea, and I had been completely right. Personally, I don't think I have ever attended a function that was so painstakingly awkward and unsettling.

On one side of the table sat Eli and Charlie Swan, who were quietly conversing about a murder that had taken place in Seattle without any regard to anyone else in the room. Next to Eli was Charlotte, who was struggling to keep up with the grownup conversation while popping the homemade French fries into her mouth.

I sat next to Charlotte, eyes stuck on my plate of fried fish that I begrudgingly admitted was delicious. Rounding out the table were the three Clearwater's: Seth (who blatantly stared at me throughout the entire meal for no apparent reason), Leah (who was a bit threatening and kept glancing back and forth between her mother and brother with an exasperated expression on her face), and finally on Charlie's other side was Sue (whose body seemed about ready to fall out of her chair in her bouncing excitement.)

I had only one thought throughout the entire meal as I nibbled on my food – _these people are freaking crazy._

Of course, I seemed to be the only one who noticed. My traitorous siblings seemed perfectly content sitting at the cramped kitchen table, and were apparently oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

I shifted in my spot, just wishing that Seth would stop his staring.

"So," started Sue, once the dessert had been served. "Are you going to be attending Forks High School this year, Annie?"

"Um…" I glanced at Seth, who was still staring intently as if the future of his entire world depended on my answer. I turned back to Sue and answered, "Yes, I'll be starting my final year."

"Me too!" blurted Seth excitedly. "Well, actually I go to school on the reservation, but I'm graduating this year, too!"

"Oh, brother," murmured Leah quietly, rolling her eyes.

"Uh…" I resisted the urge to put myself ten miles away from Seth's over-excitement. "Cool?"

"Seth," Sue added, "Annie made the pie; isn't it delicious? Apparently she loves to cook; something else you two have in common."

I didn't see how much we had in common besides the fact that we were both graduating and had a fondness for food, but I had a feeling that I knew what Sue was trying to do. It wouldn't work, no matter how gorgeous and slightly intriguing (albeit, _weird_) her son was.

Seth, on the other hand, looked as if he had died and gone to heaven. "You like to cook?"

"Yeah, I do," I answered, my pale cheeks turning slightly pink. "Especially baking."

It was at this point that Eli and Charlie had started listening in on the conversation. "She's always baking something or other," Eli told the group, "Her pecan pie is to die for."

Sue cocked her head to the side. "I don't think I've ever had pecan pie before. I don't think _any _of us have, actually."

My siblings and I looked positively horrified.

Charlotte looked slightly awed as she spoke, her voice high-pitched. "You've _never_ had pecan pie for Christmas before?"

The people around the table shook their heads.

"Now that's just crazy," Eli burst in. "It's really popular down south. If it's one thing I can say about Louisiana residents, it's that they take their food seriously. Especially things like pecan pies, crawfish, beignets, pralines –"

"Half of the words you're saying sound like absolute gibberish," Leah said, inserting herself into the conversation for the first time.

"Annie could probably explain it better than I could."

_Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Eli. _I gulped as the group turned to me expectantly. "Pralines are pretty big back home. It's a French dessert with pecans, cream, and buttermilk… stuff like that. It's kind of like a really thick and creamy fudge, but harder and smooth."

"And what about the other one?" Sue asked. "Bennets?"

"Beignets," I corrected. "Ben-yays. They're basically God's gift to mankind; the most delicious dessert ever."

"Your favorite?" Seth asked curiously.

"Oh, by far," I answered immediately, my eyes lighting up with a sudden passion and adrenaline. "The best you can get are from this restaurant back home called Café du Monde." I sighed dreamily. "I can never make them like they make them there, though. It's like heaven in your mouth, and I'm never able to make them correctly."

"What is it? A type of cookie or something?"

I was slightly appalled at the very thought. "Oh, definitely not. It's a special kind of deep-fried dough; a bit like a donut but a bit crunchier, square, and without any holes. And it's topped with _piles _of powdered sugar."

"That good, huh?" Charlie asked.

"To die for," I answered, biting my lip. "We used to go there a lot; my friends and I, I mean. My best friend Georgia and I would go down to the café in the French Quarter in the city, eat our desserts with coffee, and just sit out and people watch while listening to musicians playing jazz music on the street corners. It was wonderful."

The entire table had gone silent, and the simple conversation had suddenly turned tense.

Sue was the first one to speak and break the silence. "You know, I think you would get along wonderfully with my niece Emily. She's always talking about finding new desserts to make; she basically has to feed a little army with all of the people going in and out of her house on a daily basis," she stated. "And you'll most certainly have to make a pecan pie for us," Sue added. "I'm kind of curious about how it tastes now!"

I forced a smile on my face and nodded, not really in the mood to sit through polite conversation anymore. Twirling my fork around on my plate, I looked down at my lap. The thought of the best friend that I had left behind had taken me down an unbidden trip through memory lane, and all I wanted to do was go back to our new house and cry.

"It's usually a dessert for the holidays, but I'll definitely make one for you," I explained politely, my tone stating that I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore.

But Sue was determined not to let the conversation die. "How are you all liking Forks so far?"

"I like the beach," Charlotte chimed in, putting the last bit of pie on her plate into her mouth.

"La Push has lots of nice beaches," Sue agreed, "Especially every once in a while when the sun is shining."

I couldn't help myself; I snorted. My cheeks went bright red when I realized what I did. "Sorry, but I haven't seen the sun since we got here. I was starting to think it had disappeared completely."

Sue just laughed. "Sunny days are few and far between, but the constant drizzling makes you more grateful when the sun does come out."

"And even when it's raining," Seth rushed out, "they're always doing something out there on the beach. There's going to be a bonfire in the next few days; probably next week. Would you like to go?"

His invitation was extended to my whole family, but it was clear to everyone at the table who he was really talking to.

Narrowing his eyes, Eli pushed his chair back a bit. "Well, it's getting kind of late, Charlie, so I think we'll be going."

I frowned at my older brother as the light in Seth's eyes dimmed. Not really thinking it was a good idea to go to a bonfire but not wanting to hurt his feelings, she admitted, "I don't know, I'm not really a big beach person. I only went the other day because Eli wanted to bring Charlotte."

"Oh." Her rejection didn't faze him in the slightest. "Well there are lots of other things to do. Are you busy Saturday?"

"Annie," Eli cut in, "Time to go."

Even if I did want to go and hang out Seth – which I kind of did, though I would never admit it out loud – I knew that I couldn't. I bit my lip regretfully and nodded, "Actually I have something kind of important to do this weekend." Seeing the pain in his eyes, she pushed back her chair and added, "Maybe another time."

"Yeah! Definitely!" He agreed, his voice cheerful. "Another time."

* * *

_Clearwater Residence, La Push, Washington:_

"You are literally the most pathetic person in the history of mankind."

Seth opened his eyes and looked right into the face of his sister, his dopey grin still not having left his face. "What?"

"You probably terrified that poor girl tonight, you realize that, don't you?" Leah asked. "You acted like a complete psychopath. Maybe it would be a good idea to take it down a notch next time, Casanova."

He couldn't bring himself to frown. "I didn't act like a psychopath."

Leah snorted. "Yeah, you kinda did. I was waiting for her to call 911 to bring you to the mental ward."

This time, Seth did frown. "You think I was too overbearing?"

"And it didn't help that mom all but gave the two of you a blessing of marriage."

"Oh shush, Leah," Sue called, walking from the direction of her back bedroom already in her pajamas. She came to stand beside her daughter, and the two of them looked down at Seth's reclining form on the couch. "I'm just excited. My baby boy," she sniffled teasingly, "all grown up!"

"Here we go," groaned Leah.

Seth ignored his sister. "So what did you think about her?"

Sue ruffled her son's hair. "I think she's lovely, sweetie. Pretty and _very _kind. She was a bit thin though," Sue mused thoughtfully, "and she barely touched any of her food, even the dessert."

"I noticed that, too," Leah piped in her opinion. "She was _really_ skinny. Mom, you're a nurse. You don't think she's…" She gave a glance at her brother, "anorexic or something, do you?"

Seth glared, and opened her mouth to give a snappy retort, but Leah cut him off.

"I'm not saying it to be teasing," she reassured, "it's just that being that skinny isn't really healthy."

He couldn't deny that he had noticed something strange about her, too, when it came to her weight. She truly was skinny, and she barely ate any of her food, despite her claims that it was delicious. Everyone except for Annie had also eaten the dessert she brought ravenously.

"Maybe she just wasn't hungry," Seth shrugged.

He knew that probably wasn't the case, despite how much he wished it to be. He hadn't noticed it when they first met, but having been close to her for more than a few minutes had been truly eye opening. There was something about the way she smelled – warm and comforting like sugar cookies and vanilla. But underneath that smell was something else, though Seth couldn't place what it was.

It was subtle, but potent, and he spent the better part of the night trying to identify the smell. It had been almost a… bitter scent; something rusty and toxic, like a household cleaner.

"Did you smell anything off about her?" he asked his sister.

Leah raised an eyebrow. "About her smell? No, not really. She smelled like cookies or something. Why? Did you smell something?"

"I thought I did," he said slowly. "It was kind of subtle. It smelled almost like poison."

"I honestly have no idea," Leah admitted, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I didn't smell anything off about her."

"She might not have been feeling well," Sue pointed out. "I'm sure she was probably nervous about meeting new people, so that might have been why she didn't eat or smelled strange."

"Yeah, maybe," Seth murmured.

"Well, all I know is that you need to get to bed." Sue snapped her fingers, pointing toward Seth's room. "Don't think I don't know you haven't been sleeping lately, Mister."

"Yeah, yeah," he yawned, standing and stretching his arms in the air. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

His mother stopped him when he was hallway up the stairs. "Seth?"

He turned around expectantly. "Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you found her."

Seth smiled. "So am I."

* * *

_Stratford Residence, Forks, Washington:_

I woke up from a deep sleep as a result of my ringing cell phone. Letting out a loud groan, I felt blindly for the phone on my bedside table, knocking over a box of tissues in the process. "Hello?" I asked, my voice muffled from where my head was still smothered in my pillow.

"W-What's up, biotch?" a happy high-pitched voice asked. "You'll n-never g-guess what I found out t-t-today from Shannon."

Georgia Hathaway had a hell of a track record with horrible timing.

I moaned, flipping over onto my back. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's l-like 8:30!" Georgia said, exasperated. "Usually you're up at the – at the cr-crack of dawn!"

"_Time zones_, genius. It's only like 6 AM here."

"Oh, sh-shit, I for-forgot," she apologized. "Sorry, b-babe."

I sighed. Out of all the friends that I had back home, Georgia was the only one who hadn't treated me any different. As a result, the friendship we had nurtured for years had grown stronger than ever and I was eternally grateful for all of the support she had given me over the years.

She was a strange soul, Georgia Hathaway. She never had a lot of friends – neither did I, really – because of her stutter. It was one of the traits that had originally intrigued me about her, and once I had beaten past her painfully shy outer shell I knew that I had found a friend for life. "You're an idiot."

"B-But you lo-love me anyway. So t-t-tell me: how is For-Forks?"

"S'fine," I yawned. "We haven't really done much."

"Are y-you f-feeling okay?"

"As good as I'll ever get. I start my treatment on Saturday, so I'll probably be out of commission all day, and Sunday."

"Let me kn-know how it g-go-goes, okay?" she responded. "You kn-know my m-mom is all worried si-sick about you."

"You and your mom are always worried." Beth Hathaway was the epitome of worrywarts, a trait that she had given to her daughter. They meant well though, and I didn't complain since the pair had been there for me for a very long time. They both had their quirks and little eccentricities, but they were slightly endearing. I was grateful to have two people like Georgia and Beth Hathaway in my life, and wouldn't trade them for the world. "So what were you saying about what you found out from Shannon?"

"Oh!" Lucy shouted. "You'll n-n-never g-guess who's preg-pregnant."

"It's too early for the gossip train to have started," I sighed, untangling myself from my blankets. "Who?"

"Heather N-Nichols."

I gasped. "_No! _Seriously?" Heather Nichols had spent the better part of their high school years tormenting Georgia for her shyness whenever she had the chance. "Karma exists, apparently. Who's the baby daddy?"

"N-No idea. I d-don't think _s-she _kn-knows, either. That wit-witch; serves her r-right. After all the t-t-time she spent call-calling me stu-stupid because of my st-st-stutter, and t-torturing me to no ex-extent in front – in front of the en-entire sc-school on a d-d-daily basis, now she fin-finally g-gets her come-comeuppance. It's b-b-beautiful; I-I could c-cry. Think I should send her a Th-Thank You c-card?"

I laughed, covering my mouth with my hand. "I would love to see her face if you did that."

"Y-You and me b-both," Georgia sighed. "B-But what about y-you?"

"What _about _me?"

"Any n-new re-rela-relationships I sh-should know about?"

"No, not really." My mind briefly shot over to Seth Clearwater, who I hadn't seen in two days since the dinner at Charlie Swan's house. I found myself craving his company – even though I was pretty sure he was partially mentally unstable – but wasn't sure why I had the sudden urge to be near him. "Most of the people here are kind of crazy. Small town weirdness and all that."

"Uh, have you _seen _the p-people tha-that live near us? They're all nuts, so I doubt a few small t-t-town people are really a su-surprise."

"If you could meet these people," I said, "you'd understand."

"Sooner or l-later I'll co-come up th-there and visit, I sw-swear. Have you m-m-met _anyone_ n-new?"

I fell back against my pillows again, drumming my fingers against my leg and seriously debating whether or not to reveal to Georgia about my meeting with Seth. I knew that she would probably get the wrong idea, but I would still feel bad about keeping it from her. "I met a few people. I met Eli's boss and we had dinner at his house with his friend and her kids." I snorted. "That was basically a disaster."

"Why?" she asked.

"Like I said, these people are strange. Sue – that's Eli's boss's girlfriend – has two kids, right? A girl and a boy. The girl was slightly intimidating, and then the boy couldn't stop staring at me."

"W-Wow. How old are th-they?"

I sighed. "The girl was a few years older than me, and then the guy was my age. Cute, but strange."

"D-Details?"

"His name is Seth," I responded. "Tall, really tan; he's native, so he lives up on the reservation. Kind eyes, nice smile."

"Do you – do you like h-him?" she asked suspiciously.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, she laughed. "Oh, m-my gosh, you d-do!"

"I do _not!_"

"Wow, g-g-girl, you move fa-fast. You've only b-been there for w-w-what? A we-week and a half?"

"Georgia –"

"Are you g-g-going to hang – hang out with him ag-again soon?"

"Probably not," I said honestly. I felt a pang in her chest at my words, but ignored it and gently rubbed the skin over my heart.

"Why n-not?"

"Because. Why should I try to start a friendship or relationship when I know it isn't going to last?"

Georgia's tone quickly turned sharp and angry. "How m-many time-times do I have to tell- _tell _you t-t-to stop saying sh-shit like that? You c-can't put the… the re-rest of your l-life on hold just b-because you're si-sick."

This had been a sore subject between Georgia and I for quite a long time, so I believed that my best chance of avoiding an argument was evasion. "That's not what I'm saying," I replied. "If the treatment takes effect – _if _– I highly doubt that I'll end up staying in Forks forever, so what's the point when I know that I'm just going to leave?"

"Nothing wrong – wrong w-with having a b-bit of f-fun with the lo-locals," she pointed out, huffing under her breath. "Who kn-knows? It m-m-might work out. He c-could be – he could b-be your s-soul mate and y-you would have n-no idea."

"You've lost your mind. I'm hanging up on you so I can go back to sleep," I chuckled, finger hovering over the 'End Call' button.

"Yeah, y-yeah, ok-okay. My m-mom's call-calling for me, anyway. I'll t-t-talk to you again s-soon, and m-m-make sure you l-let me know how y-your t-t-treatment goes, okay?"

"Okay, I will. Tell your mom I said hello."

"Will do. L-Love you!"

"Love you, too."

Long after Georgia had hung up the phone, I had stayed awake watching as the sun slowly rose behind the sheer curtains of my window. I wanted to hear the telltale signs of my siblings rising from their slumber. First was Eli, accompanied by the sound of rushing water as he got ready for work, and then the creaking of the stairs as he headed toward the kitchen to no doubt leave a note of where he had gone and when he'd be home.

About an hour later was Charlotte, loudly stumbling out of bed, tripping on some stray object that she had left on her floor and accidentally slamming open her bedroom door as she made her way out and into the hallway.

Then, the knock – "Annie, are you awake? Can we make breakfast?"

Finally, I rose, stretching out my arms as I pushed off my blankets. "Yeah, I'm awake. Why don't you go and get the pancake mix out of the cabinet and we'll have a nice big breakfast today?"

The younger girl nodded and smiled at me before rushing towards the kitchen.

I stayed in her bed for several seconds more, looking at the substance of what my life had become. Would everything be this monotonous from now on? Was my whole life planned out ahead for me?

I didn't even want to think about the answer.

* * *

By the time I got downstairs – taking a lot longer than I had originally expected and being completely winded from the experience – Charlotte was waiting patiently at the kitchen table. In the time it took me to reach the bottom step, she had already gotten out a pan and the pancake mix from the pantry.

"Do you want plain pancakes?"

"Choco-chips?"

"Chocolate chips?" I skimmed the shelves of the open pantry. "I don't think we have any; I'll get Eli to pick up a bag when he goes to the store. What about blueberry pancakes? Do those sound good?"

"Yummy!" she cheered.

"Did you wash your hands?"

Charlotte looked down sheepishly. "Not yet."

"Well hop to it," I ordered, pointing toward the downstairs bathroom.

I waited until I heard the hall bathroom open and the water rushing in the sink before I started making the pancakes. Cooking had always been a wonderful hobby for me; stress-free, fun, and a wonderful outlet for me to get creative and experiment. Acting in the mindset of a professional chef, I vigorously mixed the pancake batter, added fresh blueberries from the fridge, and poured it in the pan to cook.

I was finally stirred out of my reverie by a knock at the door.

Immediately, I was suspicious. We were new in a small town, our only adult figure that had a key to the house had gone to work, and now we were alone with a potential serial killer knocking politely on the front door. It was like the beginning of a bad horror movie.

Even knowing that I wouldn't be strong enough to fight off anyone who wanted to get in the house, I made my way towards the window next to the front door and pushed aside the curtain to see who had arrived for a visit.

"What the –" Frowning, I unlocked the door and pulled it open. "What are you doing here?"

Seth Clearwater just gave me a lopsided grin. "I was in the neighborhood dropping off something to Charlie for my mom and wanted to see how you were doing."

I blinked, glancing out at the empty driveway. "And you walked here? Shirtless?"

"Uh," he looked down at his bare chest. "Yeah, it wasn't really that far, so I figured I would get a nice jog out of it."

"Uh huh." I crossed my arms over my chest. Seth could tell that I didn't believe him.

"So… how –" he paused, smelling the air. "Is something burning?"

"Burni- OH SHIT!" I pushed away from the doorframe and ran towards the kitchen, turning off the burner over the now blackened pancake. "Damn it," I mumbled, only vaguely aware of the fact that Seth had followed her into the room, glancing around curiously. I pushed the pan towards the back burner only to burn my hand slightly on the hot stove. "Ow!"

"What happened? Are you okay?" And suddenly Seth was in front of me, grabbing my hand to examine my injury.

"It's nothing, my hand just brushed against the hot pan; no big deal," I reassured, flattered and slightly freaked out at the same time.

"It _is_ a big deal," he corrected, staring at me sternly and gently pushing my reddening hand under the cold water from the kitchen sink. "You need to be more careful."

My eyes narrowed. Did he really think so little of me? Did he really think I was that helpless? "I know my way around a kitchen; it's not like I burnt myself on purpose, it was just an accident. Relax."

Seth looked down at me from his tall height with a raised eyebrow, and I glared right back up at him stubbornly. I felt a chill run up my spine at his intense gaze, and for the first time I noticed the color of his eyes – light cedar with random flecks of gold lined around the pupil.

"Annie?" Charlotte's voice broke us out of our staring. "What happened to your hand?"

I jumped, my eyes flickering down to Seth's bare chest as I took a large step away. I pulled my hand out from under the water from Seth's strong and warm grasp; a sudden surge of longing went through me at the loss of his touch. I turned back to Charlotte and attempted to get my heart under control as I spoke, "Nothing, I just burnt it on the stove."

"Oh. Hi, Seth."

"Hi," he told her, giving his trademark bright and cheery smile.

"Annie, what about the pancakes?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh, well…" I looked toward the stove, where the pathetic excuse for a pancake was sitting. I grimaced. "I'll make you another one."

"I can make them," Seth offered. Seeing the look on my face, he added, "Because of your hand. It's the least I could do, since you wouldn't have even burnt your breakfast if I hadn't shown up."

Well I couldn't argue with that.

I took a seat at the table next to my sister, and we both watched as Seth made his way around the kitchen as if he owned the place. He scraped off the old pancake into the garbage, opened the window above the sink to air out the smell, and skillfully made the pancakes, even going so far as to toss it up in the air and catch it in the pan like a professional. Charlotte clapped her hands at his antics, laughing in amusement.

"Impressed?" he asked, eyes locked on mine as he served a pancake to my sister and me before starting on one for himself.

I _was_ impressed, but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him that. "You wish."

The rest of the morning continued similarly, and Seth left not long after doing the dishes despite my protests that he could leave them where they were.

"I'm really sorry that I dropped in on you like this," he had commented when I walked him toward the door.

"No, it… it's fine." I rubbed my cold arms as the sudden outside chill hit my body. "You're pretty good company."

"You're not too bad yourself," he responded, giving a small laugh. "So about this weekend…"

I bit my lip. I actually _wanted_ to spend more time with Seth. Being with him was easy, almost effortless. I felt… _good _when he was around. "I wasn't lying when I said I had plans this weekend."

"Just making sure," he winked. "Sometimes plans change."

"These plans won't be changing," I insisted. "Trust me on that."

"Oh? What are you doing?" His tone wasn't menacing or sarcastic – it was more curious than anything else.

I knew that the truth would probably scare him away, and I wasn't quite ready for him to know, so I said what I could without lying. "I'm going to Port Angeles."

"Shopping?"

"You know, you are being very nosy for someone I just met a few days ago," I pointed out, leaning against the door.

His eyes were twinkling as he responded with, "I would call it being intuitive, not nosiness."

"Of course you would," I replied, surprised to find that I was smiling back at him.

His eyes were bright and adoring as he stared forward, bluntly stating, "You have a pretty smile."

I blushed, "Thank you."

Seth looked toward the woods then, and frowned. "Sorry, but I really need to go. Still have a bunch of errands I need to run."

I squeaked as he pulled me forward into a warm hug, much more intimate and warm than the one we had shared in the kitchen of Charlie Swan's home. His skin was hot but extremely soft, and he smelled like the ground after a fresh rain – absolutely enticing. The hug lasted only a few seconds, but left my entire body tingling. I watched him as he walked away towards the forest, turning back only once to give a wave and a smile before he took off through the trees.

I was still thinking about that hug several hours later.

"I like Seth," Charlotte commented from the living room floor where she was coloring a picture. "He makes good pancakes. And he's nice."

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I like Seth, too."

I knew that I shouldn't, but I felt some sort of attraction to him, both physically and emotionally. It was not hard in the slightest for me to understand why I was attracted to him physically; I mean, the guy was basically beautiful with his mature but slightly boyish face, wise eyes, and contagious smile. Emotionally, however, I was stumped. It was as if some sort of invisible thread was gently pulling me toward wherever he was, and when he was close by he never ceased to make my heart race.

I was going against everything I had ever told myself to do: go through the day; keep all people at arm's length.

But with Seth Clearwater, I just couldn't bring myself to stay away.

* * *

**Let me know what you think of the chapter by leaving a review!**


	5. Fire to Keep Me Warm

**Woops, this chapter is a bit late! I've been so busy with college that I completely forgot that people are waiting for the next chapter!**

**Note: I have personally never been through chemotherapy, but from my own research and listening to relatives who have been forced to struggle through it, this is what I image happens during/after it. I apologize if I got anything wrong.**

* * *

Chapter 5:

"_Experience: the most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God, do you learn." – C.S. Lewis_

_Olympic Medical Center, Port Angeles, Washington:_

I slept most of the way to the hospital that Saturday morning, dreaming about nothing in particular as the car drove over the smooth concrete of the highway, before I was gently shaken awake.

"Annie… Annie, come on. We're here."

I blinked drowsily, the large white hospital towering over us intimidatingly. A sudden jolt of fear went through my veins, but I swallowed it back. "That drive is too long."

"I told you that we could have just done it at the hospital at Forks for the first few times before we're equipped to do it at home, but no. You had to be stubborn."

"I wish I didn't have to get treatment at all," I muttered, climbing out of the car. I pulled my sweatshirt tighter around my body, wishing for one of Seth's warm hugs.

"We'll be out of here before you know it," he promised, leading their rather pathetic party forward. "Everything's going to be okay."

But it really wasn't. After having to wait half an hour to meet my new oncologist, a kind but blunt man with a head of black hair, I was lead toward the hospital's outpatient facility. Not long after that, a kind nurse with curly brown hair came to retrieve me.

"Do you want us to go back with you?" Eli asked, fully ready to follow me into the back room to brave through my treatment with me. "I can go back with her, right?"

"Yes," said the nurse kindly, "If she was having the radiation done you would have to stay here, but since it's only the chemotherapy you're more than welcome to go back and sit with her."

"No," I stated immediately, interrupting Eli before he could respond. "I'll be okay. I want to do this by myself."

He looked pained. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," I responded, my voice firm. I had to get used to doing this on my own; it was better for them if they didn't have to see it.

"Do you have a book or magazine to bring with you?" the nurse asked. When I shook my head, having not even thought of bringing something to occupy my time, the nurse gently brought me to a private and brightly lit room, where several machines were sitting, waiting to be used. The nurse gestured for me to sit in one of the chairs, and she then sat opposite.

"Now, your file says you've never had this done before, correct?"

I nodded. "Right."

"It isn't that bad, and you'll be out of here in about an hour, okay sweetheart?"

"O-Okay."

"Let's get started then," the nurse answered, smiling softly. She stood once more before rolling over a tall IV hook. "We're going to be doing this intravenously, which means the chemo is going to be going through your veins by way of an IV. Have you ever had an IV before?"

"Yes."

"Good," the nurse stated proudly, bringing over a small catheter to insert into the soft skin at the crook of her elbow. "You know exactly how this works, then."

I stared at the back wall, lips pursed in distaste while the nurse inserted the little plastic piece into my skin. "What's your name?" I asked, eager to get my mind off of my current predicament.

The nurse glanced up at me, lips twitching slightly. "My name is Jennifer, but I hate that name, so my friends usually call me JJ. And… done."

I looked down at my arm as JJ taped the little plastic piece in place, before she tapped my arm comfortingly. She pointed to the IV bag full of clear liquid. "This is what we're going to be putting through your veins. I'm going to hook it up to the catheter that I just placed in your arm through a small tube, then all we have left to do is wait."

"Will it hurt?" I asked nervously. I shifted in my spot, unable to relax.

"The chemo?" JJ asked. "No, it shouldn't hurt at all. If you feel anything strange – burning, coolness, or pain – you let me know right away, okay?"

I nodded miserably.

JJ slipped another plastic piece over my ring finger. "This is just going to monitor your heart; not anything important, but it's just a precaution." She pressed a few buttons on a complicated contraption, and sure enough, a quick but steady beeping broke the stillness of the room. "Your heart rate is a bit fast there," JJ commented as she fiddled with the tubes of the IV, connecting one to the catheter and the other to the bag of liquid. "You need to relax before you make yourself sick."

"I'm already sick," I pointed out, leaning back in the chair. "That's the whole reason I'm here."

JJ didn't even look pitying like I had expected. Instead, she had a smile. "If you put all your sarcastic energy into calming yourself down and relaxing, you could lower your heart rate a bit."

"I'm just nervous," I stated, feeling a bit queasy as I saw the clear liquid dripped painfully slow down the tube and towards my arm. I looked away.

"Everyone is," JJ said, doing her best to be comforting. "Has anyone talked to you about what to expect after it's over?"

"No," I admitted, "but I've done a lot of research on it."

"Well then you know you're going to feel extremely tired and weak for the next day or two," JJ explained. "And you'll probably experience some vomiting later on tonight and tomorrow morning."

"And… my hair?"

"Well your case is kind of special," JJ stated. "Usually the hair starts falling out two weeks after treatment starts, but since you're only coming two to three times a month, you have about three or four months – if it falls out at all."

I resisted the urge to cry; I loved my honey colored hair with all of my heart, since it was one of the only things I had inherited from my mother. I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to worry about the hair loss, but obviously I was wrong. "Oh."

JJ frowned at the broken-hearted tone in my voice, but instead of commenting she headed toward the door, but paused right before she pushed it open. "I'll bring you a few magazines to help pass the time."

I nodded and rested her head against the chair, squeezing my eyes shut. _Don't cry in front of a stranger; don't cry in front of a stranger…_

And I succeeded – I didn't let my tears fall until after JJ had left the room.

* * *

JJ had been right; once the chemo had entered itself into my system, I was barely strong enough to move. I felt heavy, as if my arms were laden down with lead. JJ had to physically pick me up to move me to the wheelchair to bring me down to the waiting room, where Charlotte and Eli were waiting.

"Is she okay?" Eli asked immediately, rushing over to take my hand.

"She'll be fine in a few days," JJ answered, putting a soothing tone onto her voice. "She's going to be tired for a while, especially since this is the first time; it's going to be not only physically, but emotionally draining for her. Also she might be sick tonight so make sure to keep a bucket or garbage can by her bed in case she can't make it to the bathroom."

I felt so ashamed. I was almost eighteen years old, for God's sake; most eighteen year olds were out with their friends and gossiping about boys, swimming and hanging out at the mall and getting ready for college. But there I was: weak, helpless, terrified, and barely able to move my own limbs.

"Can she eat anything if she gets hungry?"

JJ nodded, handing Eli a large envelope as well as a small bottle of pills. "This is everything you need to know and it explains about her new diet on the days she has chemo. If she gets hungry, give her some water and maybe a little broth. A cracker or two might do the trick, especially if her stomach is queasy." She gestured at the pills and continued, "Starting tomorrow morning at around eight, put her on the nausea medication. Also, next time she comes, I believe that her doctor wants to start her on a few other types of medication, including a new chemotherapy pill – it isn't as strong as the intravenous fluid, but it's still effective."

I already felt myself nodding off as a result of my fatigue, but I struggled to listen to the conversation. Pills? Fantastic.

JJ kindly pushed my wheelchair out of the door and to the car while Eli looked on worriedly. I vaguely heard Charlotte ask me if I was okay, but I found myself unable to answer.

I only partially remember being helped into the backseat of the car, but most of what happened after that was lost as I fell asleep.

I slept through the entire ride home and woke up in my bedroom several hours later, after the sun had gone down. I was unable to remember how I had gotten there, but at the moment, that was the least of my problems. The only thing I could really focus on was the horrid churning in my stomach and the bitter taste rising in my mouth.

Lunging out of bed and almost tripping from my exhaustion and lack of balance, I stumbled my way to the bathroom down the hall and vomited out the contents of my already partially empty stomach into the toilet. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as a wave of misery swept over me. I felt hot, almost boiling as a gentle hand placed a cool towel against the back of my neck.

"It's okay," Eli said softly, comfortingly rubbing my back. I hadn't even heard him follow me. "Just breathe; it'll be over soon, I promise."

My mouth was dry and bitter; I couldn't respond. I gagged again, pushing some stray strands of hair away from my face. Grabbing the towel from my neck, I wiped my mouth and flushed the toilet, breathing heavy and harsh.

"I hate this," I mumbled, wishing that I could sink down to the floor and press my hot skin to the cool bathroom tile.

"I know," Eli responded, tying my hair back from my sweaty face. He pulled me into a hug; my head fell against his t-shirt covered chest as I sniffled. "I know you do, Annie. I'm so sorry."

This was hell.

* * *

Seth couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something was wrong and he had a vague feeling it had something to do with his imprint. Of course, almost everything bad that happened in his life for the last week or so had something to do with his imprint, so this wasn't really a surprise.

He felt sick and nauseous, which was completely stupid since he hadn't gotten sick since before he first shifted when he was fourteen.

_Stop it with the inner monologue and focus,_ Brady commanded, interjecting himself into Seth's thoughts. _She's probably fine and you're just worrying yourself sick._

_Something's wrong,_ he insisted. _And of course I miss her; I've barely spent any time with her._

_Brady_, Collin started, _The Single Man Club is seriously shrinking. We need to talk to Embry about widening our circle._

Seth scowled. _I can't wait until you two idiots imprint._

_If I have it my way, I'll never imprint,_ Collin responded.

Seth didn't really know how to respond; he had always wanted to imprint, ever since he had first found out that miraculous part of the legend was true. _Just because you spend your life whoring around with half the state –_

_No way; it's not even that,_ Collin interrupted. _I've seen how this imprinting stuff messes with all of your heads. Way too painful. I mean, just look at you. You've been panicking over her for the last half an hour without stopping over a hunch. I'd hate to see what you feel if something was actually wrong with her. I don't ever want to have to go through that._

_It's a good kind of pain,_ Seth insisted, slowing to a stop from his running. _I'm going to head back to Forks just to check in on her; give me ten minutes._

_It's 2 AM, dude,_ Brady reported, _she's not going to respond well to you knocking on her front door in the middle of the night._

_I'm not going to go knock on her door,_ Seth replied, running in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to be going. Already, he felt the string on his heart loosening from getting closer to her. _I'm just going to go check and see if she's okay. You know, make sure she's asleep and stuff._

_Whatever. But if Jake finds out that you're not doing your job then I'm not going to help you when he bites you in the ass._

Seth mentally pictured himself tackling Collin to the ground; Brady snorted. _Jake doesn't have to find out, got it? Besides, I'm sure he'd understand._

He did his best to block out anything else the guys were saying as he quickly made his way to Forks. The faster he got there, the faster he could reassure himself that nothing was wrong.

The house came into view only a few minutes later; Seth slowed his stride, going as close as he dared in his wolf form.

Immediately, he knew that he was right; something was wrong.

A light on the upstairs floor was on, sending a dim light over a thin strip of grass on the front lawn. A hushed male voice could be heard, along with the loud sound of someone throwing up.

_Is that Annie? _Brady asked.

_I don't know._

But he knew it was. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach that she was the one that was sick, and he wanted nothing more than to go up there and hold her, help her feel better, and tell her that everything was going to be okay and that he would fix things so she would never have to be sick ever again.

_Food poisoning?_ Collin suggested. _Maybe she just got sick with the flu or it's something she ate._

_Be quiet,_ Seth commanded, inching closer so he could hear what was being said.

"Just breathe," said the male voice, which he could assume was Annie's brother. "It'll be over soon, I promise."

The gagging sound returned, along with a choking cough. "I hate this," his imprint's voice mumbled, sounding close to tears.

Seth's heart broke and he pawed the ground nervously.

_Don't do anything rash,_ Collin warned. _I know that you seriously want to go up there, but you can't._

At this point, Seth didn't care what anyone said. _I have to make sure she's okay._

"I know," Eli's voice started up again. "I know you do, Annie. I'm so sorry."

_Isn't morning sickness a symptom of pregnancy?_ Brady asked suddenly, not thinking.

Seth let out a threatening snarl at the thought of someone else being with his imprint so intimately.

_Sorry, man. _ Brady winced. _It slipped. I doubt she's pregnant; it was just a passing thought._

He heard sniffling from inside the house. "Can you help me back to my room?" Annie asked softly, sounding both miserable and pained. "I think I'm okay for now."

"Of course," Eli replied. "Come on."

He saw the vague outline of shadows through the bathroom curtain as Eli helped Annie up and out of the room. The bathroom went dark, but not long after another light came shining through from a separate room – Annie's bedroom.

"You go get some sleep," she insisted. There was a loud ruffling of blankets, and Seth knew she was probably settling back into bed. "I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she said. "Go. I'll call for you if I need you."

"Well… If you're sure. Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No, but… can you open the window for me before you go?" she asked, sounding small and hesitant. "It's kind of hot in here."

"Of course I can."

Seth backed into the shadows as, sure enough, Annie's bedroom window was shoved open all the way, sending a cool rush of air into the room. "Anything else?"

"No. Sorry I woke you."

"It's okay, sis." There was a creaking of the floor, and then Eli said, "If you need anything at all, just yell for me. I'll be right downstairs."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too, Annie."

A door shut. Silence.

_What's that word for that eating disorder? _Collin asked slowly._ That one that you binge and throw up for?_

_Bulimia_, Brady offered.

_She doesn't have an eating disorder,_ Seth hissed back, watching the bedroom curtain for any sign of movement. _You think her brother would be helping her if she did? There isn't anything wrong with her._

_Well obviously something __**is**__ wrong with her,_ Collin hissed. _Come on, man. You're smarter than this. Something weird is going on here._

_You need to come back to La Push, Seth,_ continued Brady. _She's okay now, so come home before you do something you regret._

_Obviously she isn't okay, Brady,_ Seth argued. _I can't just leave her._

_What are you going to do? Climb into her room and watch her when she sleeps?_

Seth didn't respond.

_Dude do you realize how creepy that is? I know you're worried but that's completely ridiculous and verging on a stalker level that's weird even for imprints._

_What do you suggest? That I just leave her here by herself?_

_**Yes**__!_ Urged Collin. _She told her brother that she was okay; obviously she's being taken care of, so just __**get off your ass and get **__**back to La Push**_.

_But I…_ he glanced longingly up at the window, as if he was waiting to see her face.

_She's asleep, Seth. Let's go_, Brady piped in.

Torn between doing his pack duty and staying with his imprint, Seth waited several more seconds and then made to turn around. Right as he was about to put his first foot forward, he heard it – the tell tale creaking of an iron bedframe and light footsteps on a hardwood floor.

Brady sighed. _Here we go. He's never going to come back to La Push now._

Seth ignored him. He listened as Annie's bedroom door was pushed open and a set of light footsteps slowly trailed down a staircase.

_You have officially reached a new level of stalker,_ Collin stated. _ I hope you're proud of yourself._

He listened as Annie's bedroom door was pushed open and a set of light footsteps slowly trailed down a staircase.

_This is a really bad idea, _Brady stated.

Seth snuck forward hesitantly, crouched slightly as if he was about to pounce. Out in the open but still hidden by the shade of the trees, he sat down on his haunches, waiting patiently to see what would happen next.

_Jacob is going to be so pissed_, Collin commented.

Honestly, Alpha or not, at that exact moment Seth couldn't give a rat's ass about what Jacob thought. All he really wanted was to make sure that his imprint was okay; once he knew that for sure, he would happily go back to La Push without a fight.

_Maybe we should go get Jake or Leah,_ Brady suggested.

_Just give me a few minutes,_ Seth urged, eyes locked on the front porch. There was near silent shuffling coming from somewhere near the front, and finally, the front door swung open with a slight creak, revealing his imprint.

_She looks like hell_, Collin stated sympathetically.

Annie's face was a sickly white color as she shut the front door and slowly trudged over to the porch swing. She sat with some difficulty, the contours of her face turning slightly green around the edges. She breathed in deeply, squeezing her eyes shut to try to calm her nausea.

_I should go talk to her_, Seth blurted out, already preparing himself to phase back.

_And tell her what?_ Brady asked, _Hey, I just happened to be sneaking around your house at two in the morning as a wolf and heard you vomiting. Are you okay?_

Collin snorted. _She'll call the cops._

_Technically, her brother __**is**__ the cops_, Brady pointed out.

As Brady and Collin continued their debate, Seth's decision was made for him.

Annie had glanced toward the tree line and her eyes locked immediately onto him.

_Oh shit,_ Collin burst out, _Shit, shit, shit. Seriously not a good idea, man. You're just going to scare her._

_Seth_, Brady warned, _Don't do it. Just walk away._

But he was too far gone to care about the consequences.

* * *

I waited several minutes before I climbed out of my bed, refusing to move until long after the sound of my brother's footsteps had faded through the now silent house. My body had been screaming for a bit of chilly fresh air. I struggled to stand straight on my feet and had to sit several minutes afterward to fight the rush of dizziness that fluttered through my head.

Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I stood once more and quietly opened my bedroom door, attempting to not alert my brother at my escape to the front porch. I flinched slightly as the floor squeaked under my weight, and halted, waiting. When no one came to check in on me, I made my way down the stairs, clutching the railing for dear life through my weakness and praying that I wouldn't stumble and break my neck.

I had to hide a loud cheer when I made it to the bottom step relatively unscathed. _I can do this, _I thought triumphantly. _I am not weak._

I sat down on the bottom step to catch my breath. For several seconds I waited, fully expecting my brother to come rushing out of his room and catch me trying to sneak out. When he didn't, I pulled myself to my feet again and continued forward. The metal of the knob was cold under my hand, and I pushed open the front door and stepped out into the night.

It was damp and dark, but the stars shone brightly against the black sky. The moon was full, shining high in the sky above the house, and distantly, I could hear an owl hooting and several rustling branches. A rush of fresh air soothed my lungs, sending a ghostly breath of air over my hot skin. Stumbling with my fatigue and feeling slightly drunk and light-headed, I made my way over to the porch swing and sat, closing my eyes.

I blinked, peering at the trees. There was something… something right along the tree line, hidden in the shadows. It was large; so gigantic that at first glance I thought it was a bear. But no, it was too lanky. A wolf, maybe? But wolves didn't grow that large, did they?

Its giant head swung around suddenly, and its eyes fell directly on me. I felt my heart stop and then immediately start to race. I knew that the smart thing to do would be to make my way inside and find the nearest shotgun, but I was frozen in place.

The wolf whimpered at my terrified expression and shuffled back and forth in its spot, acting more like a large dog than a feral wolf.

I was nervous. The wolf was one of the most beautifully terrifying things I had ever seen in my life, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to be completely afraid of it. Instead, I felt my body pushing me forward off of the swing and down the porch steps, as if some cosmic connection was pulling me towards this wild animal.

Or maybe, deep down, I just had a death wish.

I refused to think on that for too long.

A rush of adrenaline slid through my veins as I trailed across the yard, my bare feet softly crushing the grass. The wolf let out a low whine at my approach, taking several small steps forward before bowing its head.

I cocked my head to the side as I walked forward. _Annie,_ I shouted at myself. _What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?! _I stopped a few feet away, falling onto my knees. Not wanting to scare the wild but surprisingly tame creature, I crawled forward a few feet more, then stopped.

It blinked at me curiously, waiting to see if I would move again. I didn't. Instead of slowly slinking forward as I had originally expected it to do, it lowered itself and splayed its large body across the ground in what I deemed to be a submissive gesture.

If I moved forward a few more inches, I would be able to touch it. I slid forward on the ground, not making any sudden movements. "Hi," I whispered, not caring how crazy I sounded talking to a wild animal that could probably kill me with a swipe of its huge paw.

The wolf blinked up at me sadly with eyes the color of rich cedar. A sudden rush of familiarity swept through me, but I wasn't sure why. It whined again, moving itself forward an inch before nudging my knee with its nose.

Unable to resist, I reached out and threaded my fingers through its soft tan-colored fur, lightly scratching behind his ears. "You're just a big puppy, aren't you," I said softly.

The wolf sighed happily at being scratched, and as I realized that I wasn't in any immediate danger, I scooted myself forward a few inches more. I rubbed the top of his head, the soft fur like a fluffy feather pillow under my fingertips, and I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in his fluffiness and fall asleep.

"Are you a boy wolf?" I asked curiously, unable to look and see for myself.

It let out a light bark in confirmation.

I chuckled. "I thought wolves didn't go near people often," I mused. "But then again, you aren't really a normal wolf. I didn't even know wolves could get this big."

His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth.

"Maybe you –" suddenly I winced at the sudden pain in my stomach, retracting my hands from his fur. I watched in awe as the wolf pushed himself up and softly nudged my stomach, whimpering. "It's okay," I reassured him, giving a slightly forced smile. "I'm okay. Unsettled stomach, is all."

He gave me a look that said he clearly didn't believe me, before he grabbed my shirt between his teeth and tugged purposely in the direction of the house.

"Wait," I protested, half-heartedly shoving his nose away as I was forced to my feet. "Stop. Bad dog."

He let out a frustrated huff before his gaze shot toward the tree line. Looking closely, I could see the outline of two more wolves – both were a bit smaller than the one in front of me, but were still threatening in their own right. One stepped forward a bit out of the shadows, making the tan wolf growl impatiently.

"Is that your pack?" I asked curiously, grabbing a handful of his fur. "I think they want you to go with them."

Glancing back and forth between the other two wolves and me, my tan wolf wolf nudged me backwards towards the house with his nose.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," I muttered, "Geez, pushy wolf."

He walked with me all the way to the porch. I turned back before walking up the steps and scratched his muzzle since his ears were too high for me to reach. Giggling as he licked my hand, he waited patiently until I was safely locked inside the house before turning to leave.

I felt sad as I watched his retreat from the window near the door, unhappy to see him go. It wasn't until I had climbed back in my bed to sleep the rest of the morning away that I was struck with a stunning realization:

For the first time in years, I felt no pain.

* * *

**Please tell me what you think by leaving a review!**


	6. Count All My Blessings

**So, we're back to our regularly scheduled updates! This chapter is mostly a filler, but part of it is crucial to pushing the story forward. Enjoy!**

**Oh, and thank you to SethLuvr for reviewing every chapter so far! This one is dedicated to you :)**

**NOTE: For anyone who's wondering why Sam, Paul, and Jared aren't in this chapter, it's because they're still a part of their own pack, as in the book.**

* * *

Chapter 6:

"_I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light." – Helen Keller_

_First Beach, La Push, Washington:_

Every once in a while when the weather was halfway decent, Harry Clearwater – when he was alive, that is – would wake up his children in the early hours of the morning before dawn and take Seth and Leah down to First Beach to watch the sunrise. While they watched the pink and orange sky spread over the dark waves that crashed along the shoreline, Harry would tell them stories about their heritage – about the Quileute legends and how important they were to their culture.

Of course, neither Seth nor Leah knew that they were true at the time, but the stories were entertaining for small children, and they both soaked in every detail.

Somewhere along the way, however, Leah had decided that she had gotten too old to hang out with her father and baby brother, so she stopped going.

That didn't stop Seth. He had always looked forward to those days that he would spend with his father, going to the beach and loving the time he was able to spend with him and the various talks they had.

It was at that very beach that Seth now sat, leaning back on his forearms with his hands buried deep in the grainy sand. He missed his father more than he could say, and he wished now more than ever that Harry were there to give him some advice on what to do. Seth thought back to a particular moment several years before he had phased, where he had asked his father a question that had been on his mind for a very long time.

"Why doesn't Leah want to come with us anymore?"

Harry had glanced over at his son with an amused expression on his face. "It isn't that she doesn't want to come with us," his father had explained. "She just feels that she has more important things to do now that she's growing up."

Seth had made a face, making his father laugh. "Ugh, I don't ever want to grow up."

Harry had just ruffled his hair. "We all have to grow up some time, Seth. Even if we don't want to."

"Is she doing this because of Sam?" he had asked sheepishly, pressing his bare feet into the sand.

It took a while before his father had answered. "Your sister thinks that she is in love."

"You mean she isn't?" He was confused. Leah had seemed head over heels with Sam Uley for the past few months, but now his father was implying that they weren't good for each other.

"No," Harry had honestly answered. "If she was in love, we would know it."

Still at the tender age where he still thought girls had cooties, Seth responded by wrinkling his nose. "Relationships are gross."

Harry's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "You'll feel different when you're older."

"Nope," Seth protested assuredly. "I'm never going to grow up and I'm never going to get married."

"You don't want a family of your own?"

"Nah. I have you, mom, and Leah so I don't need more family," he responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You know," Harry then responded, "your mother and I aren't going to be around forever."

"But marriage is _gross_," Seth repeated, trying to stress his point so his father would understand.

"When you find the right person, you'll understand. When you find her and you look into her eyes and see into her very soul, you'll just know instantly. Then you'll understand."

Harry had been right. After he had phased for the first time and learned about the magic that defined imprinting, Seth knew that he wanted to have someone to love with that much passion. Since imprinting, he finally understood the meaning of his father's words.

Understanding, however, didn't make it any easier.

"Thought I'd find you out here," a voice chimed in, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Hey," Seth greeted, not really in the mood for company.

"Brady and Collin told me what happened last night," Jacob commented conversationally, plopping down next to Seth in the sand.

"Those traitors," Seth muttered, not taking his eyes off of the horizon.

"Don't blame them," Jacob stated, "They're just worried about you. That was quite a chance you took approaching her as the wolf. What would you have done if she had run away screaming?"

"Locked myself away in my room and hid, probably," Seth admitted.

Jacob was quiet for several beats before he changed the subject. "What were you thinking about?"

"My dad."

Jacob nodded. Even though it wasn't quite the same since the one Jacob had lost had been his mother, Seth knew that he understood. The pain of losing a parent was a harsh one, and the burden could be kept forever. "What about him?"

Seth shrugged. "Just how we used to come out here all the time when I was a kid. About his stories and stuff."

Jacob breathed in deep and let out his breath in a rush of air. "Did he give you any good advice?"

"Nothing that I haven't already realized for myself," Seth replied bitterly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"If you were in my position last night and that was Nessie vomiting her guts up, would you have done the same thing?"

Jacob shifted in the sand, stretching out much like Seth was. "Probably. I completely understand what you were feeling, but you weren't thinking straight. What if you had hurt her, Seth?"

The very thought made him cringe. "Don't even say things like that."

Jacob held up his hands defensively. "You have the best control out of everyone in the pack, but even you have your off days."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm _saying _that you just need to be careful," Jacob said, giving Seth a bit of a glare. "I'm going to give you free reign on what you do because I trust your judgment, but take it slow. She looks fragile even for a normal human, which means she's completely breakable to someone of our strength. Ease into it slowly; don't rush into doing stupid things."

"You're one to give advice," Seth stated, scoffing. "Considering your imprint is pretty much unbreakable."

Jacob smiled at the mention of his imprint. "I was lucky on that point."

Seth sat up, looking down at his hands. "She wasn't afraid of me last night, but she's hesitant around human me. What if she finds out about the pack and she never wants to talk to me ever again?"

"She's your imprint," Jacob responded simply, as if this fact solved everything. "It won't matter; there may be a few ups and downs along the way but she physically won't be able to stay away from you forever."

"I don't even know how to tell her," he admitted.

"Like I said, take it slow. At the very least wait until she isn't sick. Brady said you think she has food poisoning or something?"

Seth nodded hesitantly. "I think; I mean, that's what I'm guessing."

"Well wait until she gets over that," Jacob ordered, "then wait even longer. You have a good chance here to do this right without messing up somewhere along the way. Don't screw it up."

With that, Jacob left.

* * *

_Stratford Residence, Forks, Washington:_

The day after my treatment had been both a living hell and a blur.

For a while I had been fine, especially after my run-in with the sandy-colored wolf in the early hours of the morning. I had slept well after that, resting soundly until around 10:15. It was only when I had woken up that I had begun to feel sick again.

I spent all of the morning and much of the early afternoon with my head bent over the toilet bowl. On the few moments where my stomach had settled itself, I laid on the bathroom floor with my cheek pressed against the cool tile, dozing in and out of consciousness.

At about seven in the afternoon, my stomach had settled enough for me to move more than a few inches, but I eventually had to bite back my pride and call for my brother to help me get to my bed. He had been fluttering around all morning, bringing water and crackers to try to settle my stomach, but even the very thought of eating something made my stomach churn even more than it already was.

After Eli had carried me to bed, I hovered on the border of sleep and reality; not falling fully into dreamland but not completely aware of what was going on around me. I was physically and emotionally exhausted from my day, but still ended up waking early the next morning. I reclined in my bed until Eli came to check on me and hand over the news that he had to go to work but would stay home if I needed him.

I didn't _want_ to need him, so I told him to go.

I struggled to pull myself out of bed and make myself stumble down the stairs. My head pounded painfully but I fought through it, managing to fix a small bowl of cereal for a strangely quiet Charlotte who had locked herself in her bedroom for the day, and force my own body to nibble on a piece of dry toast.

By the time 5:00 PM rolled around I had already started feeling a bit like my normal self. Not good of course, but a lot better than I had been doing the past two days. At least, I was doing okay until a slamming front door alerted me to the fact that my brother had arrived home.

"Why the _hell_ didn't you tell me that Seth Clearwater had come here?"

Face pressed against the cushions of the soft leather couch as something mindless played on the TV, I shrugged, wrapping my blanket tighter around my neck. "I dunno."

"Were you _ever _going to tell me?"

I shrugged again, clearing my dry and crackling throat. "Maybe. I didn't think it was important."

"You didn't think it was –" Eli ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Why did you even let him in the house?"

I pulled myself into a sitting position, chewing on my bottom lip. "Technically I didn't."

"So he forced his way in?"

"No. He was standing on the front porch and I had to run back inside because the pancakes I was making were burning and he just followed me. He helped me when I burnt my hand, too."

Eli's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "_You burnt your hand_?" he demanded accusingly, grabbing both of my palms to examine them carefully. "And you didn't think to _tell_ me?"

I snatched back my hands. "It's not that big of a deal, no harm done. I just burnt it a bit on the frying pan; it barely even hurt."

"Annie," he started, as if he was talking to a child. "You know you're more susceptible to infections and things like that. Even if you so much as get a paper cut, I want to know about it. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I promised.

"And I want you to stay away from Seth Clearwater for the time being."

For some reason, his words sent a stab of anger flooding through my heart. "Why? How did you even find out?" I snapped, surprising myself with the defensiveness in my voice.

He raised an eyebrow at my sudden change in tone. "Charlie told me; apparently Seth had told his mom about his little visit. And for starters, I don't like the fact that he was here with you and Charlotte when you were by yourself. What if he had hurt you?"

It was true that Seth was extremely huge and muscular and that anyone who didn't know him would find him a bit intimidating, but in all honesty after having talked with the guy, I couldn't see him harming anyone. "Seth would never hurt me," I argued assuredly. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. He's nice."

Eli crossed his arms over his chest and stood up to his full height. "Yeah," he muttered, "he's a bit _too_ nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" My hands fell limply in my lap.

Eli huffed. "Don't think that I didn't see the way he was looking at you when we had dinner at Charlie's."

I waved a hand to shove away his words and accusations. I had seen Seth's staring – I would have to have been blind to miss it – but besides wondering if I had something stuck between my teeth and if he had mental problems, I hadn't given his actions much thought. "He was just curious because it was strange that we were seeing each other again."

Eli sighed, roughly rubbing his eyes. "Look, I don't have anything against him –"

I raised an eyebrow.

"– and Charlie says he's a great kid. I just don't want you to get hurt if..." he let his voice trail off.

The anger had suddenly returned. If what? If the treatment failed? If Seth tried to hurt me? The last thought seemed absolutely ridiculous. "I can handle myself, you know," I stated, my voice soft but strong. "And he's a good guy, Eli. He makes me feel better."

His eyebrows shot to his hairline, but he bit back any snapping retort he was about to make. Instead, he moved around the couch to sit next to me, and took my hand in his. "Do you plan on seeing him again?"

Did I? I wasn't sure. I _wanted _to, but the only times I had seen Seth so far had been flukes where he had randomly shown up. "I don't know. Maybe. It depends."

"On?"

"On…" Finally, I turned my entire body around so that I was facing my brother. "Look, can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I think he's trying to be my friend." I stated.

Eli waited several seconds, as if waiting for me to continue. "Well, I could have told you that, Annie. Do you have a problem with the fact that he's trying to be your friend?"

"_Yes. _The second I moved out here, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't make any lasting relationships. And with Seth it's just…" I looked away. "Different. I _want _to be his friend. He's so easy to talk to and so cheerful and happy all the time. But if things don't turn out the way we want them to…" I looked pointedly at my brother. "I couldn't put him through something like that."

"Maybe a good friend is what you need," Eli insisted. "Look, you barely know the kid, but obviously he's taken a liking to you and you to him. I may not like the idea of how fascinated he is with you because to be honest it kind of freaks me out a little, but if he makes you feel better than I think you should at least talk to him every once in a while... even if I'm a little wary of the kid."

"Does he know about… me?"

Eli shook his head. "No. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone until it became absolutely necessary, so no one in town knows."

I nodded. It startled me how much I wanted to become Seth's friend. "He keeps asking me to hang out with him," I admitted.

"What have you been telling him?"

"I told him no the last time he asked. We were in Port Angeles, then I was sick for the next couple of days."

Eli nodded understandingly. "Well, maybe the next time he asks, you should say yes. Didn't he say something about a bonfire?"

I made a face. "Isn't it a little dangerous for me to be around smoke like that from the fire?"

"Your lungs aren't the problem, little sis." He squeezed her knee. "Think about it if he asks the next time you see him."

"What do you think mom would say?"

My question caught us both by surprise. We hadn't talked about either of our parents since the funeral. It was kind of an unspoken rule – if we did not talk about it, we could pretend that it never happened.

"I think…" Eli frowned. "I think she would be happy that you're making friends. She would tell you to go for it, because if he makes you happy then that's all that really matters."

I nodded, suddenly tired of talking.

I didn't bother telling Luke one of my biggest fears about Seth. A friend was one thing; I could see in the back of my mind how wonderful a friend he would be. Always there to listen when I was upset and needed to talk, a shoulder to cry on, maybe even someone to hold my hand while I was in the hospital waiting room, tapping my foot anxiously as I awaited treatment. That was just the type of person that Seth Clearwater was – selfless and kind.

But there was another part of me that was shoved deep down that told me something that made my head spin: Seth and I had the potential for something more. I was afraid _so _afraid of this tiny little thought; afraid of falling for Seth and getting my heart broken, or even worse – falling for Seth, being happy for a while, and having our relationship ruined by my sickness one way or another.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. It would be better if I would just stick to my original plan like I intended and avoid any type of relationship at all costs, including the one that I craved with Seth Clearwater. It would save everyone who was involved a lot of unnecessary pain.

But then, every time Seth smiled, all of my inhibitions flew completely out the window.

* * *

_Northwest Area of the Forest, La Push, Washington:_

They had caught the scent several hours ago.

_Shit!_ Embry exclaimed. _It circled back around, towards the beach._

There was a combined growl from the other pack members.

_ We can't let him get to the water, _Jacob urged, pushing himself faster as the rest of the pack did the same. _If we do, we'll lose him!_

Seth was exhausted, but he followed his Alpha without complaint. He had been patrolling since early afternoon, ever since a howl from Quil and Embry alerted him that there was danger somewhere nearby. He had phased as soon as he had heard the howl, his head immediately being invaded by several other conversations. While scattered and crazed, he managed to get one word out of the mangled thoughts:

_Vampire._

_How did it even get on tribal land anyway?_ asked Quil. _Is it a friend of the Cullens?_

_ The Cullens would have told us if they had a visitor, _Collin pointed out. _And they know better than to allow one of theirs on the rez._

_Damn leeches, _Brady muttered. _Wait – guys his scent is leading back toward Forks!_

Seth felt a flash of anger flow through his body; it wasn't that he really had a problem with vampires. He was quite close with each of the Cullens, especially Edward ever since that whole debacle after Nessie was born. Even so, he had always been a bit… uneasy around any vampires that were unfamiliar to him, vegetarian or not. But now that he had Annie to worry about, he was more determined than ever to keep any dangerous bloodsuckers off of the rez and away from Forks.

He turned on his heel, following the pathway he had seen in Brady's head until he knew that he had crossed the border from La Push into Forks, despite the fact that he knew that none of the guys had any power on _their _land. The scent was strong and potent, filling his nose with a poisonous smell. But then suddenly, the path disappeared.

_Nothing here, _Seth relayed. _The trail just stops._

Jacob ran up behind him, lifting his head in the air to smell what Seth already knew. _That's impossible. He couldn't have just disappeared into thin air._

_Well he obviously did, _Jared stated, coming to a stop next to them. _Did he head up in the trees?_

As one, the wolves looked up towards the trees, which were still and silent.

_No, _Jacob responded slowly, shaking his head. _At the speed he was going, we would have at least heard the leaves shaking. Does anyone else smell anything?_

There was a chorus of negative answers from Quil and Embry, who had stayed behind on the reservation and near the beach to keep an extra eye out. Collin and Brady, who had stayed behind to keep an eye on the imprints and make sure everything was okay on the home front, also denied catching the scent.

_We might as well head back to the rez, then, _Jacob said, reluctant. _Seth, can you, Collin, and Brady patrol for a while? Quil and I will relieve the three of you in a few hours._

Despite how much he wanted to go check on his imprint, he nodded, reassuring his Alpha that he had everything under control.

_Alright, good. If you smell anything… _he let his voice trail off. _You know what to do._

_Got it, boss-man, _Brady interjected. _We have it all covered._

Jacob took off again toward his home without another word, as did Embry and Quil, who had been patrolling for the better part of the night and were probably exhausted.

Once his Alpha was out of his head, he asked, _Do you guys mind if I go and check on Annie? Just in case. I don't like the fact that the leech was in Forks when she lives so close to here._

_Make it snappy, _Collin said. _We don't need a repeat of what happened last time._

_Noted._

It didn't take him long to reach Annie's house. He slowly trailed along the tree line and slunk his way through the shadows toward the house, going as close as he dared. Seth waited, listening carefully to hear his imprint's steady breathing. He took in the smell of the air, bracing himself for the scent of vampire, but it didn't come.

He could have let out a sigh of relief. Sitting down onto his haunches, Seth glanced up at the house, his eyes settling on the waving curtains near his imprint's window. He heard a soft groan and the shuffling of sheets as she moved in her bed. Those were not the sounds of someone who was sleeping well.

_No way, dude. _Brady cautioned. _Don't even think about it. If she wakes up, she'll freak out if you're standing in her bedroom._

"No…"

His head shot back towards the window, eyes narrowing at his imprint's whispered word.

"Mom, you can't go… Daddy, please…" A near silent whimper and the sound of a choking breath made him let out a low whine, pacing back and forth on the dirt.

_Seth, she's just having a nightmare. Let it go, man._

_How can I let it go? _He asked. _She's in pain, she needs me!_

_ She doesn't need you to scare the fuck out of her! _Protested Brady. _Stop acting like a possessive douchebag and get back to patrol!_

As always, Seth ignored Brady and moved closer to the house.

A sharp gasp reached Seth's ears. "Please don't go…" A choked back breath flew through the window, followed by the sound of silent crying.

He felt his heart break.

"No… _No!_"

The ruffling of bedsheets, heavy breathing. Silence.

"Calm yourself, Annie," Seth heard her murmur to herself. "It was just a dream. Just a dream." She let out a shaky breath. He listened carefully as her feet slipped to the floor and traveled across the hardwood towards the window. Suddenly, her head popped into his vision. Seth blinked, letting out a low whine. Her entire body froze; she looked down, her eyes widening when she saw him looking up at her. Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone, but her steps could easily be heard trailing through the house toward – he assumed – the front door.

Brady let out a sigh. _Here we go again, _he mumbled. _Shouldn't he be making more of an effort to be her friend as a __**human?**_

_You're doing this all wrong, you realize that, don't you? You're supposed to get to know her as a person first, not introduce her to the wolf, _added Collin.

_Shut up, _Seth commented, trotting around towards the front of the house near the front door. He sat at the foot of the steps, waiting. _She's hesitant around me whenever I try to talk to her. This is a lot easier than spending time with her as a human._

_ Because she knows you're a freaking nutcase, _Collin pointed out.

Seth ignored them, letting out a breath of relief when he could see her hand push open the screen door.

She was here, and she was safe.

For the moment, everything was fine, just as it should be.

* * *

**Reviews give me motivation to write this story, so please let me know what you think!**


	7. Home, Love, Family

**Very disappointed with the lack of reviews last chapter, but thank you to those who did review! Your words of kindness are wonderful!**

**Guest: I'm glad you liked the story! The type of cancer that Annie has will be revealed in a later chapter.**

**This chapter is dedicated to SethLuvr, who has reviewed every chapter so far!**

**Lmb111514: For some reason, FF was messing up and not letting me respond to your reviews, but I'm so glad you liked the story and thank you so much for your reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 7:

"_Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." – Sarah Williams, __Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse_

_14 Months Ago, Louisiana, Stratford Household:_

_ "At zero degrees, two vectors have a resultant that is equal to the sum. When at 180 degrees, the two vectors will have a result that is equal to their difference, not their sum. The difference to the sum shows the total range of possible resultants, and if I don't stop reading this stuff in the next ten seconds, my brain is going to explode and splatter against the walls at a speed that __**Physics**__ will not be able to explain."_

_ With a sigh that could be heard throughout the house, Annie slammed her book shut and rested her head on the table._

_ "Hey, Bambi, having trouble?"_

_ "Hi, daddy," Annie responded, not bothering to lift up her head from the table as her father took a seat next to her, opening up his newspaper._

_ "What are you studying?"_

"_Physics," she answered, pushing over the textbook for him to examine._

_He eyed it with a bit of distaste. "'Fraid I can't help you there."_

_Annie snorted, pulling the book back over. She glanced down at the cover, sighed, and flipped back to the page she had been reading. "When is Eli going to get here? He could help me."_

"_He'll be here as soon as we pick him up from the airport," her father stated, skimming the front page of the paper. "His flight should land in about an hour, but you know your mother is going to want to get there early, just in case. But with this weather, I think we should wait a bit; never know if the plane is going to be delayed."_

"_Just be careful driving," she urged. "Are you taking Charlotte with you?"_

"_Nope," he answered, "I figure it would be a bit of babysitting practice for you."_

_She made a face. "I'm supposed to be studying."_

"_And you're doing a hell of a good job at that right now," he stated pointedly, gesturing to the textbook that she had yet to look at._

"_If it was interesting stuff, then that would be better. Something actually good to read, you know."_

"_Well, bookworm," he laughed, ruffling her hair, "once you finish studying for physics then you can go and find yourself a nice book to read."_

_A frustrated huff sounded from somewhere behind them, where Annie's mother was walking around nearly blind. "Where the hell did I put my glasses? Did either of you see where I put my glasses?"_

_Annie's father winked, before asking, "Have you checked the top of your head, Phyllis?"_

_Her mother scowled, but tapped the top of her graying hair. "They're not on my head, Andrew; if they were on my head then I wouldn't be having this problem." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And if you would get up and help me find them, we could leave for the airport!"_

_Knowing that his wife was eager to see their son, Andrew sighed and stood. "You probably left them on the bathroom counter again."_

_Mumbling to herself, Phyllis all but stomped up the stairs toward the bathroom in the master bedroom, Andrew trailing after her amusedly. Annie waited patiently, listening for her mother's exclamation of astonishment when she found her glasses in the same place she always left them._

_Sure enough, it came ten seconds later. "Aha!" she shouted_

"_I told you that was where you left them," she heard her father's muffled voice laugh back._

_A crack of thunder rumbled outside, shaking the windows of the house. Annie frowned. It wasn't safe for her parents to be going out in this weather, but they sure as hell couldn't leave her brother at the airport overnight, either._

_A jingling of keys alerted her to her parents trailing down the stairs once more. Her mother, whose glasses lay proudly on her face despite the fact that they would forever be slightly crooked, was smiling triumphantly. "Are you going to be okay to watch your sister while we're gone?" she asked, fiddling with her purse._

"_I'll be fine," she insisted. "I'll try to get some studying in, so we'll be okay."_

"_Good."_

_Another rumble of thunder sounded out throughout the house, and a crack of lightning could be seen through the kitchen window._

"_Are you guys sure it's safe to be going out in this weather."_

"_Don't worry, Bambi," her father reassured, ruffling her hair. His eyes twinkling playfully. "We'll be okay, promise. We'll call you as soon as we reach the airport."_

_There wasn't much she could do to stop them from leaving, so she let them go, waving as they ran through the rain towards the car. Annie watched as the car disappeared through the storm, down the road and completely out of sight. Giving a heaving sigh, she went back to her book and turned on the ringer of her cell phone so that she wouldn't miss the inevitable phone call that would let her know they had safely arrived._

_It never came._

* * *

_Stratford Household, Forks, Washington:_

I shot up in my bed like a woman possessed, a light sheen of sweat covering over my entire body. I let out a few shaky breaths and angrily wiped away the tears from my face. It had been several weeks since I last had the dream, weeks where I had lightly slept without being woken in the middle of the night by a nightmare of a memory.

I knew well what came next. It would have been a long wait; after an hour and a half I would have called my mother's number, then my father's, only to have neither of them answer. I would try not to let myself panic, but my heart would sink to the pit of my stomach. I would bring my baby sister down to the living room worriedly and wait, biting my nails as I always did when I was nervous.

Then several hours later the doorbell would ring, and I would heave a shaky sigh of relief. It had to be them at this late hour; they had just gotten so distracted at the airport with Eli that they had forgotten to call. It wouldn't be the first time; no big deal. And my mother had probably just forgotten her house key like she had forgotten almost everything else.

I would push open the door completely ready to give my parents a stern talking to for making me worry myself, but I would never get the chance. With Charlotte clinging to my leg, I glare suspiciously at the two adults, one man and one woman, who stood patiently at the front door in their police uniforms. A squad car sat in the driveway, being beaten down by the heavy rain.

My heart would then clench, but I would eventually choke out, "Can I help you?"

"Are you Annie Stratford?" the woman asked, flashing a badge. She gave small smile, waving her fingers at Charlotte.

"Yes," I would reply, putting a protective hand on the back of Charlotte's head.

"My name is Monica Juneau, and this is my partner, Derek Cahill," she would respond, rain dripping down off of her eyelashes and nose. "We're with the New Orleans Police Department. We'd like to talk to you, if that's okay. Can we come in?"

"Why?" I hurriedly snap back, worry flowing through my brain.

Finally, Monica would grimace and say, "I'm afraid there's been an accident."

Snapping myself back to the present, I shook my head and buried my face in my hands. I took my quilt in hand and squeezed it as hard as I could, wishing that I could rip it in half in my frustration. "Calm yourself, Annie," I hissed at myself, pushing my hair away from my sweaty forehead. "It was just a dream. Just a dream."

I breathed in and out, feeling shaky as I pushed away my blankets, determined to head to the window and let some cool air into the room. It was all but boiling in my small bedroom, but I wasn't sure if it was a result of the dream, or just from being sick.

The wood floors were cold under my feet, and I took a moment to revel in the relief it gave to my heated skin. I managed to make my way over to the window, grab the wood with two hands and shove it upward. Eyes fluttering shut once more, I greedily breathed in the cool air.

A whine broke through the fragile stillness of the night, coming from somewhere directly below me. I tensed. Was it –

Ah! It was!

There, sitting under my window with its eyes trained directly on me, was the wolf from Saturday night. I had pushed aside all thoughts of the gorgeous creature, expecting that the one night was just a fluke and that I would probably never see him again.

But no, there he was.

Not knowing where I received the sudden burst of energy, I shot out of my room and down the stairs, doing my best to stay absolutely quiet. It wouldn't be easy to explain to my brother why I was sneaking out at two in the morning, barefoot and in my pajamas.

I swiftly pulled open the large wooden door and was happy to see that the wolf had made its way around the house to sit at the base of the front porch steps. I smiled as he let his tongue loll out of his mouth in a happy wolfish grin.

I made a move to push open the screen door but stopped at the last second. Even though he had been tame the last time I had seen him, this was still a wild animal. I had to be careful. Maybe next time I went to the store I would pick up a package of meat or something to give as a peace offering. Did wolves eat dog treats?

He must have seen the mental debate I was having, because he leaned over and whined, resting his head on one of the steps like a scolded puppy.

The screen door swung open with creak and I winced, glancing back into the house to see if my movement had alerted anyone. When I saw nothing, I slowly let the door close and made my way towards the steps. Hesitating only a second, I made my way towards my wolf, sat down on the top step with my legs folded underneath me, and whispered, "Hello again."

He cocked his head to the side, ears perking up at the sound of my voice. His tail slopped back and forth as he raised himself up, sitting back on his haunches.

Amused, I scooted down a few steps so that he was in reach. "You don't act much like a wolf," I murmured, feeling as if I shouldn't break the quiet stillness of the night. "I don't even know what to call you," I admitted, unsure as to why I was talking to this animal as if it were a person and could understand me. "What should I call you, boy?"

He just stared.

"Cuddles?"

The wolf grumbled.

"Yeah, Cuddles sounds stupid. Maybe Champ? Scamp? Captain or Scout?"

The wolf didn't look amused with any of my attempts at naming him.

"Well, sorry that I don't know any wolf names. Do you want a human name? How about… Sam?"

He made a sound that I could have sworn was akin to laughter.

"Well, I guess that's a no." I looked at my feet, picking at a piece of chipped wood from the step. "Joey? Colby? What about Lucas? Or… Oh, what about Koda? That sounds like a good wolf name, don't you think?"

Once again, the wolf wasn't very impressed.

"Geez, tough crowd," I muttered, studying the wolf curiously. His tan fur ruffled in slight waves from the small breeze. I sighed, resting my chin in my hand. "You're impossible to name."

He whined, leaning out to lick my arm. It nuzzled its wet nose against my skin, eyeing me with a bright gaze and beautiful eyes that looked too intelligent to be on an animal. I cocked my head to the side curiously. Those eyes…

I blinked.

He leaned his head over and settled it into my lap. I looked down, amused and startled at his sudden movements. "You're kind of hopeless and I give up. I don't know what to tell you, Buddy." Suddenly, I smiled. "Hey, what about Buddy? Not really a name, per say, but like a nickname since I can't think of what else to call you."

He seemed to accept that, knowing that I wasn't going to budge any more on the subject, and moved his large head slightly and sniffed my shirt.

"How've you been, Buddy?" I asked curiously. "Where's your pack, huh? You shouldn't keep leaving them alone like this; maybe they need you."

A distant howl sounded from somewhere in the distance, and Buddy lifted up his head to look toward the sound. Huffing, he let his head settle back in my lap.

"Is that them?"

He sighed, licking my hand as I rubbed his muzzle.

"I know the feeling. I have a pack, too, kind of. I have a little sister named Charlotte and an older brother named Eli. He takes care of us. They're both pretty great and mean the world to me. I wonder if you have any brothers or sisters. Siblings are pretty cool, but I can only take so much of them at one time."

Buddy moved his head in a motion that I assumed showed that he wholeheartedly agreed.

"What's your home like, Buddy?" I asked, scratching thoughtfully behind his ears. "Somewhere deep in the trees, I assume, right? Or maybe somewhere close by?"

He huffed.

"My home is far away from here," I continued, thinking back to the old house that I had spent my childhood enjoying. "All the way back in Louisiana, but you probably don't even know what that is. It was pretty small, but it was cute, quaint, and warm. We had a big yard where my brother and sister and I would always run around in, and my mom had these amazing blackberry bushes that lined the fence and an orange tree that grew right in the middle of the yard that we used to climb to pick the ripest fruit at the very top," I chuckled. "Eli broke his arm once when he was climbing it, but that never stopped any of us from doing it again."

I sighed regretfully, an ounce of bitterness slipping into my tone. "I miss home."

He whimpered, leaning up to lick my cheek and nuzzling at my neck in an attempt to be comforting.

I laughed as his whiskers tickled my skin. "It's okay, Buddy," I replied reassuringly, "I'm over it now; moving, I mean. Eli said that it was time for a change of pace and despite how much I wanted to stay at home, I couldn't help but agree with him. It was for the best, what with everything that's happened."

Buddy was listening so intently that it looked like he actually comprehended what I was saying. He blinked at me patiently, waiting for me to continue.

"Besides, I think I'm starting to like it a bit more than I originally did, even though I really miss home." I had a brief mental deliberation before I stood, trotting down the last few steps until I was completely in the grass. I sat as Buddy's eyes curiously followed me. I patted the ground in front of me, and he apparently got the message.

I expected him to lie down in front of me, but instead he wrapped his body around my back. He was so warm and had the softest coat I had ever felt. I leaned against him, pulling my legs up to my chest as I threading my fingers through his fur.

"That may be due to a certain someone, though," I pondered. "There's this guy I met – his name is Seth."

Buddy's ears perked up, curious.

"He's literally like no one I've ever met before in my entire life," I explained. "He lives up on the reservation. He's nice. Kind of strange and a bit… _bold,_ but he's really nice." Absently, I ran my fingers through the fur on the top of Buddy's head. "His mom is apparently dating my brother's boss, but I met him at the beach a long time ago. He asked me for my phone number."

He made a frustrated sound.

"I know. Crazy, right?" I asked. "But he's a pretty great guy. Showed up at my house after dinner at Chief Swan's place – that's my brother's boss – and fixed breakfast for my sister and me. I think he's trying to be my friend or something, but I'm not really looking for friends..." My voice trailed off as Buddy made a sound akin to sadness. "Besides, a random dude on the beach asking for my number wasn't exactly what I expected when I moved here."

Buddy nudged me with his huge head.

"He's just… different, you know? I can't be his friend because…" I frowned. "It's complicated. Buddy, sometimes life really sucks."

He made a noise of agreement and sighed.

There was something weird about this animal; that much was obvious. It was something strange and abnormal; unlike anything that I had ever seen in my life. I chose not to dwell on it too much because at that moment I felt safe and content; better than I had been in a long while. Sitting there and speaking of nothing in particular under the stars and buried in tan and sandy fur, I felt something that I had only felt with one other person: healthy.

Buddy made me feel the same way that Seth did. I felt myself breathing a little deeper, walking with a stronger step, and holding my head up high without getting dizzy as I pointed out several constellations to the patient wolf.

After a while, when I started to feel myself nodding off, there was a gentle nudge against my lower thigh. Buddy was pushing his nose against my skin, urging me to stand. I did, forcing my legs to pull me to my feet as I held onto him for support on the walk to the stairs. He all but pushed me up the steps, but I stopped at the last second. "Goodnight Buddy," I whispered, gently reaching out to wrap my arms around his neck and place a small kiss on his nose.

Much like the other night, he didn't leave until I had completely shut and locked the doors. I watched as he trotted off happily back to the forest. Making a mental note to do a bit of research on wolf behavior, I trailed my way back up the steps.

I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

* * *

_Uley Household, La Push, Washington:_

"I can't believe she wanted to call you Cuddles," Jared snorted from his spot at Emily's kitchen table.

"And I can't believe you're being this much of a douchebag. I thought that was Paul's job?" Seth shot back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, but Paul is busy with Rachel."

There was a snort of laughter from around the table, while Jacob grimaced; even after all this time, he was still slightly unsettled with the fact that Paul had imprinted on his older sister.

The home of Sam and Emily Uley had been a meeting place for the pack ever since Sam first phased several years ago. Back then it had only been Emily's place, a kind of makeshift restaurant and motel for the guys to pop in and eat or rest whenever they felt the need to do so. Even after all this time, long after Sam and Emily had made the place their own, it was still a safe haven for each of the pack members – and sometimes even the imprints.

Right on cue, a two-months pregnant Emily placed a tray of still steaming muffins on the table. "Stop making fun of your brothers, all of you," she fussed, resting one hand against the small bulge in her stomach. "And don't make fun of Paul when he isn't here to yell at you for it."

"Paul _would _be here if he hadn't given Rachel food poisoning," Jared snorted. "I told him that trying to cook was a bad idea from the beginning, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Most of you boys need to stay as far away from the kitchen as possible," Emily stated pointedly, giving a stern look to Jared. "Need I remind you of the time you nearly burnt down your kitchen while trying to make dinner for Kim?"

Jared looked insulted. "I got to the fire extinguisher before I did any real damage!" he exclaimed.

Quil, who had just walked into the kitchen with a giggling three-year old Claire sitting on his shoulders, snorted. "Not before you basically destroyed your stove and the kitchen counters. Your mom was furious."

"But _Kim_ thought it was hilarious," Jared leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smirk on his face, "which is all that matters."

"She thought it was hilarious because you almost burnt your eyebrows off," Quil covered Claire's ears, "dumbass."

Seth sighed. He had come to his pack brothers for advice, not to listen to them make fun of each other.

Though, he wasn't really sure what else he expected.

Embry, who had been quiet thus far, was the first to notice Seth's frown and slightly hopeless expression. "You know," he pointed out, picking two muffins to put on his plate, "Be happy that your relationship with your imprint is the way it is."

"Why should I be happy?" he asked, drumming his fingers against his leg as Quil and Jared continued to playfully fight about Jared's cooking skills. "She basically told me that she doesn't want to be my friend. She doesn't want anything to do with me," he said miserably, letting his head thump against the table.

Jacob, who had been half-listening to the conversation, cut in with his own opinion. "Technically she never said that. She said that she wasn't _looking _for friends; not that she didn't want to _be _your friend."

Seth stared. "Isn't that basically the same thing?"

"It means you still have a window of opportunity," Embry pointed out. "Besides, she won't be able to resist being your friend because of the imprint, and it'll be a lot easier to tell her about the pack since she's already been around your wolf."

"That's true," Emily stated, coming around to rest a hand on Seth's chair. She ruffled his hair in a motherly way, before reaching out and placing a muffin onto his empty plate. "At least you know she won't react as badly as Kim and Rachel."

At the mention of his imprint, Jared turned his head to the conversation. "What about Kim?"

"We were saying about how Kim and Rachel reacted to finding out about the wolves," Emily explained. "And how it might be easier for Annie to swallow since she's already comfortable around Seth's wolf."

"Oh, God, don't even remind me about that," Jared groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Those were the worst two weeks of my life."

Seth flinched; he remembered those days well. Kim had all but ordered Jared to stay away from her forever after she found out about the wolves. There had been lots of screaming on her part and begging on Jared's, but the shy girl whom Jared had imprinted on was resilient in her orders.

And Jared had obeyed, because it was all that he could do.

It had been a tough time for everyone involved: Kim and Jared feeling the painful separation that resulted from trying to resist the imprint, and the rest of the Pack that had to listen to Jared's constant whining. Luckily, thanks to a combination of Kim's previous crush on Jared, the imprinting attraction, and Jared's stubbornness and groveling, their separation had only lasted two weeks until Kim had finally broken down and let Jared fully explain.

After that, she had taken the imprint in stride, and now they were happier than ever.

"And Rachel wasn't much better, even though all she did was attack Paul with a metal baseball bat," Jacob added, his voice sounding both smug and proud at what his sister had done. "But everything eventually worked out for them in the end, too."

This knowledge didn't make Seth feel better. "That doesn't really help me out here. Kim and Rachel are different than Annie. She's more… fragile."

To the guys, everyone who wasn't a wolf or a vampire was fragile, but everyone who had seen in Seth's head just how weak and tiny his imprint was, understood what he meant. Emily, however, who had yet to meet Annie, did not.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that Rachel is basically just as stubborn and hot-headed with an attitude to rival Paul's, and then even though Kim is pretty shy and quiet, she's basically grown out of her shell around us. Annie isn't like that. She's tiny. Thin. She looks…"

"Weak," Jacob offered. "Not weak in a bad way, but she always looks exhausted whenever I see her in your head."

Emily frowned. "You think that's because you're keeping her up at night when you sneak over to her house?"

Seth shook his head. "She was like that on the beach the first day we met, too. She was ready to defend herself when all that sand flew into her face, but she was just so…" He was at a loss for words.

"Sickly?" Sam offered, walking into the room from outside. He immediately walked over to Emily and kissed her, resting a gentle hand on her stomach.

"Yeah."

"Maybe she was just a bit under the weather," Embry reassured. "It's probably nothing and she'll be better before you know it."

But deep down, Seth knew that something was wrong; he just hadn't yet figured out what it was. "I don't know, maybe. She just… she smells weird."

Everyone gave him a strange look.

"Not weird as in bad, weird as in…" He crinkled his nose. "Like an underlying scent; something like poison. It's the strangest thing. Then the last two times I saw her, she smelt kind of like chemicals."

"I'm sure it's probably nothing." Emily gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Have you tried inviting her to the bonfire again?"

"I'm afraid she's going to say no," he admitted.

"Maybe it would be good to try again," Quil pointed out, placing Claire in his lap as he sat down at an empty seat. He pulled over the plate of muffins, and picked apart pieces to feed to his imprint. "We all want to meet her, and it would be good for her to hear the legends. It's a start, you know?"

It was easy for Quil to say. Once the initial shock of being imprinted to a baby had died down through their tiny dysfunctional family and they realized that Quil's feelings were nothing more than the love a brother would feel for his sister, he had basically sailed through his imprint. Claire had always known about the wolves, as did Jacob's own imprint, who was born into a supernatural family of her own. It was easy for them. They didn't _understand._

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't make any promises." To please Emily, he picked at the muffin on his plate, but made no move to bring the delicious smelling food to his mouth.

Suddenly, Emily smiled. "Actually, I think I have an idea. If she says no to the bonfire, why don't you bring her here during the day?" she asked. "Nothing big, but just so we can all meet her. I'll make something to eat and we can all have a nice lunch."

It was a good idea, yes, but would Annie agree to it? To Seth, she didn't seem like the type to being comfortable around large crowds, and his pack brothers tended to be a little on the rowdy side. "I'll ask her."

"Maybe if she meets us all first," Jared stated, "she'll feel better about going to the bonfire."

He doubted it, but he would do his best. He was desperate at the moment, wanting for her to know every single secret that he held close to his heart, but knew he had to take it slow.

As he had said before, she was fragile.

* * *

_Stratford Household, Forks, Washington:_

Most people in the world have a hobby that they throw themselves into whenever they're angry, upset, or stressed. Some people like to exercise, some enjoyed reading or drawing, many listened to calming music or enjoyed a cup of tea in front of a roaring fire. For me, the thing that calmed me down during the moments that I was at my worst was cooking.

After the car accident that took my parents, I had avoided the kitchen like it was the plague. Cooking was something that I had often done with my mother, who had gradually passed down all sorts of secret family recipes for me to memorize and master over the years. The pain of standing in the kitchen while my mother was six feet under the ground had been a little too much to bear.

But then only a month later, when I found out why I had dropped from 132 pounds to 104 in less than two months without any form of dieting, and why that tiny little bruise from where I had bumped into the doorframe hadn't faded away, I had started cooking again.

I currently had several pots, two filled with vegetables and one with pasta, boiling on the stove while a raw and perfectly seasoned pork roast was slowly simmering in the oven. I looked down into the bowl I was vigorously stirring and glared down at the brownie mix in distaste. More frustrated and tense than I had been in a long time, I sped up my stirring, not even stopping when some of the mix sloshed out of the bowl and onto my cheek.

I tapped my foot on the floor impatiently as I poured the freshly stirred mix into the baking pan, eager to taste the chocolate that I hadn't been allowed to have in a very long time. Health, be damned! I wanted brownies and damn it, not even my brother with his high and mighty protectiveness was going to stop me from eating them.

After placing the brownies in the oven under the chicken, I mindlessly stirred everything that was boiling on the stove and paced back and forth in front of the counter. Being stuck in the house for days had started making me a bit stir-crazy, as if the very walls around me were closing in, suffocating me into oblivion.

_God, _I thought, _I really need to get out of this house._

I eyed the front yard through the kitchen window, where the heavy rain was all but drowning the grass. Going out of the house would be impossible in this weather, unless I wanted to catch a cold and land myself in the hospital. My immune system was weak enough as it was; no need to add fuel to the fire.

The sounds of cartoons from the living room reminded her that I was not, in fact, alone. Pulling open the fridge, I took out some leftover spaghetti from the day before. "Charlotte," I called through the open doorway, "I'm heating up some leftovers; are you hungry?"

"Yeah!" Charlotte called back, moving from her spot near the television, where she was playing with her dolls, to the kitchen. "Not a lot though. Can I have juice?"

"Sure, get a pouch from the fridge. I think Eli put them on the middle shelf," I responded, letting the food flop into a bowl before I placed it gently into the microwave to cook. I stared at the microwave, watching as the food spun slowly on the glass plate. A burst of thunder made me look up at the window again. I frowned.

Charlotte sat at the table and sipped her juice as she curiously studied me. "How's Seth?" the young girl asked suddenly.

I blinked, unprepared for the question as my eyes suddenly fell onto my sister. "Who?"

"Seth."

"Oh. Seth. I don't know; I haven't talked to him."

"He's nice," Charlotte commented. "Is he going to come back again and make us pancakes?" she asked.

"I don't know, probably not," I muttered.

Charlotte looked down at her juice. "Oh." There was a pause. "Did you _ask _him if he could come back and make us pancakes?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Charlotte. I haven't asked. I'll be sure to ask him the next time I talk to him, okay?" I offered, not having any intention of doing so but hoping that it would appease my sister to some degree.

Thankfully, it did. "Okay, good."

The phone sounded out through the kitchen and I felt that it was a savior to take me away from the conversation that I was currently having with Charlotte. I picked it up quickly, automatically assuming that it was Eli since he usually called around the same time every day to check up on us.

"The house is burning down, Charlotte broke her leg, a hobo has taken refuge in our living room, and the kitchen sink is leaking," I immediately reported into the receiver, slightly insulted at her brother's lack of confidence in my ability to watch over my sister for a few hours while he worked. Charlotte started giggling, covering her mouth with her hands. "But the good news is that I _think _I've managed to fix the kitchen sink problem, so that's a plus."

"Good to know," said a voice that was most certainly _not _my brother's. "Sounds like you've had a productive day."

I could feel all of my blood rush into my cheeks. "Seth? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea it was you."

Seth's amused laughter reached my ears, and it brought a small smile to my face. "I kind of figured that. So, hobo in the living room, huh? I wouldn't worry too much about it; the real problem is when they start making garbage can fires in front of the TV. That's when you _know _you have a problem."

Leave it to Seth to take an embarrassing situation and make it into something humorous. "Are you speaking from past experience?"

"Oh, yeah," he insisted seriously, though I could tell he was fighting back a smile. "Used to be a big problem at my place. They were basically making a campground in our backyard."

"Hardy har har. You're a comedian," I commented with a laugh. "How did you even get this number?"

"Charlie."

Of course he did. I opened my mouth to speak, but Charlotte interrupted with a tug on my jeans.

"Is that Seth?" the younger girl asked.

"Yeah," I responded, covering a hand over the phone receiver as I spoke. "It's Seth."

Charlotte gave a bright grin and bounced a bit in her spot. "Ask him about the pancakes!"

"I'll ask him later; here," I told her, pulling the hot food out of the microwave. "Eat your spaghetti and drink your juice."

On the line I could hear Seth speak. "What was that about pancakes?"

I rolled my eyes. "You heard that?"

"Yep. I take it your sister liked my cooking, then."

"She loved it. She wants you to come back and make breakfast for us again."

I could hear the gladness in Seth's voice as he spoke. "I'd be more than happy to do so. Just let me know when and I'll be there."

I gave a thumb up to Charlotte, and she grinned. "So to what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Clearwater? Any particular reason you called?"

"Well…" his voice trailed off slightly. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about, if you don't mind."

"Shoot."

"Do you remember how I told you about that bonfire when we had dinner at Charlie's house?"

I had a feeling that I knew where this was going. Pulling out one of the chairs at the table, I sat down and confirmed, "I remember."

"Well that's coming up this weekend," he hinted. "I would really like it if you would come."

I bit my lip and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, determinedly pondering my options. On the one hand, it would get me out of the house and into the world. On the other hand, it would _get me out of the house and into the world. _With _people._ People who tended to look at me differently once they found out that I was sick.

But no, this was different. Nobody here knew that I was sick.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," I answered, nervously biting my fingernails.

"I really want you to meet my friends," Seth insisted. "But I know you said you aren't a fan of bonfires. I think I have a solution."

As a result of my own curiosity, I decided to humor him. "Do tell."

"My cousin Emily is having a bunch of people over at her house for lunch tomorrow – a few friends, some people I work with, and my sister is going to be there, too. She really wants you to go. Who knows?" he continued, "maybe after you might change your mind about the bonfire this weekend!" The pleading in his voice was clear.

"I'll…" Squeezing the bridge of my nose, I let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know, Seth. Wouldn't I be intruding?"

"Of course not!" he replied, sounding completely appalled that I would think something so preposterous. "It actually was Emily's idea. They're all eager to meet you."

I looked at my sister, who was happily slurping up the noodles in her bowl.

"And Charlie let me know that your brother has a day off tomorrow so he can watch your sister," Seth continued, "So it works out perfectly!" Pause. "Not that it would have been a problem to bring your sister if you wanted to – the more the merrier – but I was hoping we could spend some time together."

His offer was extremely tempting, and I really _did _need to get out of the house… But the fact of the matter was that I would have to discuss it with Eli before I made any final decisions. "I guess I'll think about it," I confirmed, my words slow and soft. "But I have to talk to my brother about it first."

"Great!" His cheerfulness all but seeped through the phone. Voices erupted in the background, and I heard Seth call back a muffled reply. "Shoot, my mom needs to make a phone call so I need to go, but I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow, okay? Gotta go, bye!"

"Wait, but I never actually said I would –"

_Click._

I sighed. There was no use trying to argue with that boy.

* * *

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	8. Not So Dysfunctional Family

**Thank you for all my reviewers! You guys are wonderful!**

**And also, shout-out to SundaySolis for her review which reminded me that there are still people that read this story. (Sorry about the wait, everyone!)**

* * *

Chapter 8:

"_Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse… and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum." – Rick Riordan, __The Sea of Monsters_

_Stratford Household, Forks, Washington:_

I get it now. I totally get it.

When my 'friends' used to go on dates back in Louisiana – or not even dates, just hanging out with people of the opposite sex – they would pick out their wardrobes with the most meticulous hands, take hours to do their hair, and make sure their shoes matched their purses. Personally, I never really understood. For me, clothes were always more about convenience than anything else. Throw on a pair of old jeans, some boots, and a t-shirt and I was good to go.

But now I understood, because in my entire closet full of clothes I had absolutely _nothing to wear._

Charlotte, from where she had flopped onto my bed, watched as I examined every article of clothing in my closet. "Is Eli bringing you?" she asked.

"No." I picked up a pink t-shirt and held it to my chest before making a face and tossing it over my shoulder to the floor. I wasn't sure why I was making such a big deal about this; I mean, it wasn't as if it was a date… Right? "Seth is going to pick me up at twelve."

"Are you _sure _he said you could go?"

"I'm positive; I asked him last night," I answered thoughtfully, thinking about the conversation I had with my brother the night before.

"Wait," Eli had said with a shake of his head, "You want to do _what_ with _who?_"

I had just sighed and repeated myself. "Seth called today and asked if I wanted to go with him to his cousin's house for lunch. I said I would ask you and see what you say, but I think he kind of assumed that was a yes."

"Do you want to go?"

"I guess?"

Eli crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me expectantly. "You don't sound too certain."

"I mean, I think I want to go. I'm indifferent," I explained. "I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"Then I don't have a problem with it," Eli shrugged. "Everyone has been telling me that Seth is a good kid, so I know you'll be safe with him. As long as you aren't back too late, I think it's fine. It'll be good for you to get out of the house for a while."

I blinked, not having expected him to give in so easily. "You mean you're okay with this?"

"Of course I am. As long as you don't give me a reason not to trust you," he warned pointedly, "I don't see why it would be a problem."

At Eli's easy agreement to me going somewhere with Seth, I felt my heart skip a beat. I wasn't too sure if I had been hoping that Eli would say no just to save me the effort of having to socialize with the overzealous but wonderful La Push boy, but I was grateful that he didn't. I was, dare I even think it, excited.

Even though I couldn't find anything to wear.

I tossed a pair of jeans onto my bed, figuring that they were as good as anything else I could throw on, before turning back to my closet to find a shirt.

Charlotte fell onto her stomach, kicking her feet in the air playfully. "When is he coming?"

I glanced at the clock and bit my lip when I saw the time. "Like twenty minutes."

"Oh."

"Yeah," I pulled out a dark green blouse that I hadn't worn in ages. Holding it up to my chest, I asked, "How does this look?"

"Good," Charlotte replied, not even bothering to glance at the shirt. "You should wear it."

I pulled off my robe and pulled the jeans on over my underclothes. "I don't even know why I'm so nervous," I mumbled, almost to myself.

"Because Seth is cuuuute," Charlotte responded, dragging out her words with a giggle. "And he cooks."

I scowled. "Don't you have something you can be doing instead of aggravating me? Go bug Eli."

The youngest Stratford girl gave an over-exaggerated sigh as she buried her face in my blankets. "Eli is boring. He's watching _sports,_" she said the word 'sports' as if it were some kind of bad word.

"I'm sure if you asked nicely, he would play a game with you or something."

"But I don't _want _to play a game," she whined.

"Well go outside," I suggested, examining my outfit in the mirror. Most of my clothes were too large for me now, so this would have to do. "It isn't raining so maybe you can convince Eli to go run around in the yard with you."

She wrinkled her nose.

Shrugging, I pulled on a pair of shoes as a voice from downstairs called, "Annie, I think Seth just pulled up!"

I glanced at the clock; the numbers read 11:45 AM. "A little eager, aren't we, Clearwater?" I mumbled. "I'll be down in a second!" Muttering to myself, I grabbed my bag and a sweatshirt and made my way down the stairs. Charlotte followed close behind, eager to see Seth, who was currently happily chattering with Eli near the front door.

" – and we won't be too late," he was saying. "Just a few hours. My cousin Emily really wanted to meet her, and so did my friends."

Satisfied, Eli nodded. "Sounds good to me. I hope you guys have fun."

"Hey," I greeted, rushing towards the two.

"Hi," Seth responded with a lopsided grin. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm –"

"Seth!" Charlotte yelled gladly, running down the stairs and attacking the boy in a hug.

Eli raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. Charlotte was always shy and quiet around people she didn't know well, so having her act so outgoing was probably a shock to him.

"Hey, kiddo!" he replied with a laugh, giving her a light tap on the back.

"Are you going to make us pancakes again?" Charlotte asked, looking up at Seth with wide and begging eyes.

"Not today, Charlotte, but soon," he promised seriously. "I'll make you as many pancakes as you want."

Satisfied with his answer, Charlotte trotted off toward the living room.

Once he was out of earshot, Eli immediately turned to me and placed the plastic container that I hadn't even realized he had been holding into my hands. "Not too late, okay?"

"Of course not," I agreed, opening the plastic container. Sure enough, as I expected, the brownies that I had made the night before – but hadn't gotten around to eating – had been cut into pieces and placed in the container. I closed it, the chocolate smell making my mouth water. "I'll probably be exhausted by the end of the day, so it won't be too late."

"Which brings me to something else I need to talk to you about." Eli looked so serious and stern that I shifted in my spot. "You know your limits, Annie. Don't over-exert yourself, okay?"

"I wouldn't, you know that. And I feel good today, so I'm sure I'll be fine," I reassured. I looked down into the box again, picking off a tiny piece of brownie and sticking it in my mouth. "Yum."

Eli didn't look like he believed me in the slightest when I said that I was fine, but he nodded anyway. "Just be careful. You know how much I worry about you." He glanced out the door to see that Seth was patiently leaning against the hood of an old and faded car. "Just try to enjoy yourself. You need to have a little fun every once in a while."

"I will. I promise."

He gave me a long look before he leaned forward and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Go," he said, pushing me slightly out the door. "You don't want to be late."

* * *

_La Push Road, La Push, Washington:_

We still ended up being late.

When I went back to relay the story to Georgia later on that night, I expressly told my friend how everything that happened that night was Seth's fault. Not mine. Seth's.

It had gone fine for the first half of the drive. Seth had chattered on about this and that while I listened intently, eager to learn more about him. The radio played softly in the background, playing some rock song that I vaguely recognized while I watched the trees flow past my passenger side window.

"I'm really glad you decided to come," he was saying, turning slightly toward me while keeping one eye on the road.

"I am, too." It wasn't a lie. I was extremely happy that I would be able to spend some time with Seth, though I was nervous about meeting his friends. "I really needed to get out of that house," I told him. "I've been cooped up in there since Saturday afternoon."

"Speaking of which," Seth asked. "How was your trip to Port Angeles? Successful?"

I blinked. Once again, I had to be careful with what I said. "It was… interesting to say the least."

"Well that's good." Seeing the grimace that appeared on my face, he corrected, "Or not."

"It was more along the lines of something I was obligated to do than something I wanted to do," I admitted, shifting awkwardly in the old and ripping seat.

"Well let me know if you ever have to do it again and I'll be sure to try and rescue you," he replied simply, his voice leaving no room for argument.

If only, if only. "Thanks for the offer, but like I said it's an obligation. Twice a month I have to make a trip to Port Angeles."

He frowned. "You never told me why you're going up there. Is everything okay?"

I glanced out the window. It felt as if my throat was closing slightly, and I feared that I had said too much while simultaneously filled with an unexplainable desire to reassure Seth that everything was okay. "Everything's good, I promise. It's just a personal thing."

"Oh." He could tell that the subject was closed for discussion, and while he was completely curious, he didn't want to pry into my business. "What about Sunday? Did you do anything interesting?"

"Oh, you know," I lazily waved a hand. "A little of this, a little of that. Eli had to go shopping, so I mostly stayed at home and watched after Charlotte."

"How did that go? Your sister seems like a handful."

I smiled. "Not really. Give her a cup of juice, some crayons, and stick her in front of the TV and she's good to go for at least four hours. She's only rowdy around you, apparently. Usually she's shy in front of people she doesn't know."

"I feel honored," Seth laughed.

My smile widened at the sound of his happy laughter. I felt quite proud that I could make him laugh like that, and I found myself laughing with him, his smile being contagious and unable to resist. "You should be. Charlotte is a hard nut to crack, and you've completely broken her down with a few pancakes."

He laughed louder, before asking, "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you a hard nut to crack like your sister?"

I felt suddenly weary. "I guess I am."

"Have I made any progress in cracking your hard shell?"

Tapping my chin, I pondered his words. "That's a good question."

"You didn't give me an answer," he mused.

"Maybe I don't _know _the answer."

"Hm."

"But I still stand by what I said at the beach," I continued before I could stop myself.

"What?"

"I'm not worth your time."

We had reached a stoplight. Seth turned completely in his seat as we patiently waited for it to turn green. I stared pointedly at the light, willing it to change just so he would stop looking at me so intensely.

"Maybe," he said, "that's something you need to let me decide for myself."

"Most people would have given up already. Why are you trying so hard?" I asked, finally turning my gaze away from the light to stare back at him with what I hoped was an equal amount of intensity to the look that he was giving me.

"To be your friend?"

"Yes."

"Because I think you're a cool person and I'm not someone who gives up easily."

I was silent, before commenting, "Green."

"What?"

"The light is green."

Seth turned and sure enough, the light had turned green. He put his foot on the gas, and we lurched forward toward Emily and Sam's house.

After a few seconds, I stated, "You barely know me. You don't know anything about me."

"I know you're extremely stubborn," he pointed out, "and that you care about your brother and sister more than you would ever admit. Since you were reading the day we met, I can assume you like books and that you love cooking."

I had to admit; he had me there. "You confuse me, Seth Clearwater."

"And you intrigue me, Annie Stratford. So let's call us even."

The next few minutes were quiet, and I took the time to ponder Seth's words. I found it difficult though, with Seth's constant glances between the road and me.

"So what's in the container?" he asked suddenly. "It smells good."

"Brownies."

Seth raised an eyebrow. "You didn't have to bring anything, you know."

"I know," I said, "But I was making them last night and I figured I might as well bring something. Back home, we never showed up at somebody else's house for a meal without bringing a little something."

"You're making all of us sound like a bunch of savages," he joked.

"No, it's not that at all. I guess it's just a southern thing. Or a 'me' thing. My mom always taught me to never show up empty-handed." Immediately after realizing what I said, I clenched my lips together; I tended to get a little carried away with talking whenever I was around Seth, and it was a habit that I seriously needed to break. _Way to put your foot in your mouth, idiot._

"You're close with your mom?" he asked curiously.

I said the only thing I could. "I was."

"Oh."

There was another pause, this one short and tense.

"My dad passed away a few years ago, so I know how you feel. Heart attack."

I didn't reply. What could I say to that? Saying that I was sorry was cliché; it wasn't like it would help any or bring either of our parents back to life. Saying 'I'm sorry,' implied that you were at fault. It wasn't really anyone's fault, so what was the point of apologizing?

My fingers clenched against the rough leather of the seat as I sat back with a sigh. I closed my eyes, pushed all thoughts of my mother out of my mind, and enjoyed the smooth ride over the road. I felt as if I could fall asleep right there.

That was, until the car started bouncing around uncontrollably.

"What the hell?" I blurted out.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Seth muttered, pulling over to the side of the road. "I think we have a flat tire. Just give me a second to check it out," he said, pushing open his door. He climbed out of the car, his limbs too large for something so small. I heard a soft curse, which I took as a confirmation that there was, in fact, a flat tire.

I unbuckled the seatbelt and climbed out to join him on the curb where he was glaring down at the tire as if it had done him a personal wrong. "Well this is certainly an interesting change of events."

He frowned. "Let me get the spare."

I watched him with a raised eyebrow as he walked to the trunk and searched for the spare tire. He let out a harsh, almost animal-like growl. He slammed the trunk shut and said, "I'm going to kill Jacob."

"Problem?"

"There isn't a spare tire," he responded, bending over to reach into the driver's side and giving me a good view of his ass. I blushed, turning my eyes toward the sky as he emerged from the car with a cell phone. "I'll have to call him to bring a spare." The phone beeped as he quickly dialed the number; I could hear the ringing from where I stood. "I'm so sorry, I can't believe this is happening."

I shrugged. "No big deal. It could have happened to anyone."

He smiled sheepishly, before listening intently to someone who had spoken on the phone. "Well I _was_ on my way, when what do you know? _Your car gets a flat tire._" I took Seth's spot in the driver's seat and let my legs hang out of the car, listening amusedly.

"How the hell am I supposed to put on the spare when there _isn't_ a spare!"

Pause.

"Jake, I looked in the trunk. There isn't a spare."

I could have sworn that I heard this Jacob person laugh on the other end of the line.

"Well maybe if you took better care of your car, we wouldn't be having this problem."

Another short pause. I looked down at my nails.

"Yeah, well just make it quick." With a flick of his wrist, Seth flipped the old phone shut. "I really am sorry about this," he stated, leaning against the side of the car.

"Like I said, no problem."

It took about fifteen minutes for Seth's friend to show up, and we chatted aimlessly while we waited, talking about nothing in particular. At the arrival of a rusty blue truck, Seth looked up, a scowl placing itself onto his usually smiling features.

A man, packed hard with muscle and a few inches taller than Seth, climbed out of the driver's side as he pulled up behind us. "Car trouble?" he asked with a smile.

"Annie, this is Jacob Black. Jake," Seth said proudly, "this is Annie."

"Nice to finally meet you," Jacob said, holding out a hand for me to shake. "Seth's told me a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, too, but I'm afraid that all I've heard about you is that you're a jerk for not replacing your spare tire," I admitted, the corners of my lips turning up into a smile.

Jacob gave me a big grin. To Seth, he said, "I like her."

* * *

_Uley Household, La Push, Washington:_

Instead of waiting for Jacob and Seth to change the tire like I had originally expected us to do, Seth instead took the keys of the truck that Jacob had driven and gestured for me to follow. He opened the passenger door for me, and shut it safely behind me. Calling something unintelligible to Jacob, who gave a slight wave back in response, he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"You aren't going to help him change the tire?" I asked, confused.

"Nah," Seth just shook his head. "Jacob can handle it."

"I wouldn't have minded waiting," I insisted as they drove away and left Jacob behind, feeling kind of guilty. "I kind of feel bad for leaving him there."

Seth wasn't in the least bit concerned. "Jacob basically built that car from the bottom up. I would honestly be more of a hindrance to him than any help, so it was better this way."

I wasn't too convinced, but didn't argue.

It didn't take us long to reach his cousin's house, where I could hear loud noises and raucous laughter emerging from the front door.

Seeing the look on my face, he reassured, "don't worry. They're a little rowdy sometimes, but they're good people."

That didn't really reassure me at all, but I still allowed Seth to pull me out of the car and towards the house.

The first thing I thought was that there must be something in the water, because every man I had met that lived on the reservation so far had a body that would make even Adonis jealous. They were all crammed into the small kitchen; tall, tanned, and muscular, several were lounging around without shirts or shoes.

_Wow, _I thought to myself. _That must be some fantastic gene pool._

I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car at that moment, but Seth, who hadn't yet let go of my hand since he had helped me out of the truck, squeezed it reassuringly. "Hey guys," he called, stepping fully into the kitchen.

There was a loud chorus of greetings from the group.

He pulled me out from behind his back and gestured to me with his free hand. "Everyone, this is Annie. Annie, this is basically… well, everyone."

Thrust into a wave of introductions, I was first introduced to Emily, who was sporting a small baby bump and gave me a surprisingly strong hug, and her husband Sam. "I'm so happy you were able to make it," Emily told me, holding me at arm's length. "Seth's told me so much about you."

I sent a sour look to Seth, who responded with a playful wink. "Only good things, I hope."

Emily's smile was kind and happy, though half of it was turned down in a permanent grimace because of several scars that tore across the right side of her face. "Of course."

"I brought…" I lifted up the container and handed it over to Emily. "Um, I brought brownies. Just to say thank you for inviting me, and such."

"Oh, sweetie, you didn't have to bring anything," Emily stated, placing the brownies on the kitchen counter. "Come on," she continued, gently interlocking our arms. "Let me introduce you to everyone."

I tugged Seth along with me, not yet ready to let go of his hand and lose the comfort and warmth that it brought. Emily led me forward and around the room, pointing out everyone who was taking up the already limited space in her kitchen. There were so many that they made my head spin, and I had a feeling that if asked, I wouldn't really remember any of their names.

There was only one that I recognized – Leah. Grateful for a familiar face, I gave the older girl a hesitant smile, but Leah didn't even bother to glance at me. In fact, the eldest Clearwater girl refused to make eye contact with anyone. She had taken to leaning against the wall on the far side of the room – a bit away from everyone else – and was currently staring a hole in the floor. It was obvious that she wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.

After all but pushing me into an empty seat next to a girl named Kim, whom I had been told was the fiancé of Jared, Emily placed a plate of food in front of me. "I'm afraid you won't be able to meet Paul and Rachel until the bonfire," Emily stated, taking the empty seat on my other side. "Poor Rachel has been sick with food poisoning the past few days."

There was a round of snickers from some of the guys at the table, most of whom had mouths stuffed with Emily's food.

Seth, who stood behind me and leaned on the back of my chair, elaborated, "Paul isn't exactly the best of cooks."

"Barely any of the guys can cook," Kim mock-whispered as she leaned over in my direction. "Really, only Seth, Embry, and Jacob can fend for themselves; the rest of them rely on Emily and I to feed them."

"It looks like we have another chef with us, Kim," Emily added. "Annie brought some brownies for us to share."

"You like to cook?" asked the boy that I believed was named Collin.

"Oh, yeah," I answered, rubbing my hands together as if I were cold. "I love to cook. I'm the only one in my family that has any skills in the kitchen, so I do most of the cooking at home, too."

Emily stood and offered Seth her seat as she went and fixed him a plate of food as another boy, Embry, spoke. "Ever given any thought to culinary school?"

I looked down at my plate, finally taking a bite of the food. The chicken was delicious and juicy, and the vegetables were seasoned to perfection. "Not really," I admitted. "I've never really thought about what I was going to do after high school, but the idea of culinary school sounds pretty great."

"All the more power to you," said Emily from somewhere behind me. "I would never want to cook as a profession! After having to cook constantly for this group, I can tell you that it gets extremely tiresome after a while."

I could only image how Emily felt, especially after watching the guys pack it all away. I glanced over at Seth, who was happily shoving half a chicken breast into his mouth, and smirked.

Several other conversations started around the table, and I attempted to keep track of them all. Kim was saying something to Jared about their upcoming wedding; he was listening intently, his eyes gazing at her with the utmost love and admiration. Embry and Quil were arguing about something unintelligible with Collin and Brady, Leah was still sulking in her corner, and somewhere near the stove stood Sam and Emily. They spoke in hushed tones, Sam keeping one arm locked on Emily's back as he pulled her into his chest.

It was the picture of a family – a little dysfunctional and a little crazy, but still a family. I could not believe how relaxed I felt; as if I was comfortable just sitting around these people that I didn't know. It was a nice atmosphere; one that I begrudgingly admitted I could certainly get used to after a while.

"You aren't hungry?" Seth asked suddenly, breaking me out of my observations.

"Hm?" I asked. "Oh, no. Not really. I haven't had much of an appetite lately."

He looked down at my plate, seeing that it had been barely touched, then glanced up to stare at me, eyebrow raised as he chewed. "You barely ate anything."

"Sensitive stomach," I mumbled, pushing the plate over in his direction. "Here; I'm sure you can scarf down a bit more for me."

He looked down at the food on the plate almost longingly. "You sure?"

"Go for it."

Seth didn't argue. Instead, he shrugged and pulled the plate to him, placed it on top of his now empty one, and dug in to the food that I had left. "So I was thinking…" he started, popping a forkful of green beans in his mouth, "we could go for a walk on the beach after."

"Sounds good to me."

"Are you liking it here in Washington?" Kim asked, having turned away from her conversation with Jared.

"It's nice; really different, but nice," I answered.

"You're from Louisiana, right?"

"Yeah, born and raised there."

"I'm sure the weather was a lot different over there than it was here," Jared mused, taking a bite of the food on Kim's plate. She sent him a sour glare, but he could only give her an innocent look.

I snorted. "That's kind of an understatement," I stated. "Don't get me wrong, we had our fair share of bad weather, but I've only seen the sun once since I've been here."

"You get used to it," Kim reassured, pulling her food far away from Jared. She smacked his hand when he tried to reach around her.

"Do you think you're ever going to move back?" Quil asked curiously.

The relaxed and calm atmosphere immediately tensed. Conversations ceased around the table, and Collin and Brady froze with their forks halfway to their mouths. All eyes fell onto me at the sudden question, waiting for my answer.

I glanced over at Seth for some explanation of his friends' strange behavior, but he was watching me just as intently as the rest of the group. "I don't, uh –" I swallowed. "I'm not sure. I haven't – I never really thought about it, to be honest with you."

There was a beat of silence, before Collin blurted out the question that he had obviously been sitting on for quite a while, "Are you sick?"

"_Collin._" Sam scolded, scowling. "Don't be so rude."

My face went blood red. "Excuse me?"

On my side, I could see the fork in Seth's hands bend completely in half. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as I opened my mouth to tell Collin where exactly he could shove his intrusive questions, but I never even got the chance. Seth pushed back his chair, making it squeak on the old floors, and said through clenched teeth, "Collin, can I talk to you _outside _for a second?" Without waiting for an answer, Seth grabbed him by his collar, and the two were out the door and stomping down the front porch steps.

_Talk about awkward, _I thought.

Emily clapped her hands together nervously, trying to dissolve some of the obvious tension in the room. "Well, how about we enjoy those brownies?"

* * *

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	9. What You Did to My Heart

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers!**

* * *

Chapter 9:

"_Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." – Marcel Proust_

_First Beach, La Push, Washington:_

Seth and Collin were gone for a good forty minutes. I wasn't sure where they could have gone unless they decided to take a little stroll through the forest – which I highly doubted – but I was worried all the same. The look on Seth's face seemed something akin to rage; the expression was foreign on his usually happy features and I immediately decided that I didn't like it one bit.

I was also slightly worried for Collin, because Seth looked positively murderous at Collin's questions. I assumed that his curiosity had to do with the way I looked – I wasn't surprised; it wasn't like they just _couldn't notice _how thin I was, I just never thought that one of his friends would blatantly ask what was wrong. I had a feeling that the topic of my health was something that had been talked about before, though. Though kind and welcoming, the looks on the faces of Seth's friends were nervous. I knew deep down in my soul that they all knew something that I didn't. A surge of bitterness shot through me; I hated being left in the dark.

I _despised _secrets.

Though, I guess I couldn't really complain. The Quileute's weren't the only ones that were hiding something.

In the meantime, while I waited for Seth and Collin to return, I got to know the rest of his friends pretty well. By the time Jacob had returned a few minutes after Seth had all but dragged Collin out the door, I had found out that Emily was two months pregnant, and that Kim and Jared were going to be married next spring.

"Well, maybe," Kim had explained, scowling at her fiancé. "At the rate we're going, it doesn't look like a spring wedding is going to happen."

"Why not?" I had asked.

Kim tossed her head in Jared's direction. "Because this idiot won't help with the wedding!"

"I help!" Jared playfully protested, looking slightly insulted.

"No you really don't, Jared," Kim had argued. "Saying, 'I don't care, do whatever you want Kim,' is not considered helping!"

This argument went on for quite a while as I learned more about the guys. I heard about Emily's wonderful niece from Quil, and a group of people called the Cullen's from Jacob. At the mention of the Cullen's, several of the guys shifted in their seats and looked more than a bit uncomfortable, but none of them spoke or said anything to betray how they so obviously really felt about these Cullen people. My curiosity was peaked, but I figured it was one of those things that I would continue to stay out of the loop for.

_Secrets._

The moment several of the guys started complimenting the brownies I had made was when Seth and Collin returned. Collin looked a little ruffled and pale, but he was alive and in one piece, so I figured that whatever had been said between the two boys had been resolved. "Sorry," Collin stated the second he walked through the door. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay," I stated warily, glancing between Collin and Seth, who hadn't retaken his seat. "It's not that big of a deal."

Seth didn't even look at Collin as he spoke. "Ready to go for that walk?"

I had agreed, giving a slight wave of goodbye to his friends.

The sounds of loud chatting and laughter had slowly faded away as we walked the short distance to the beach. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt, trailing next to Seth and looking almost childlike next to his tall and lanky body.

"So…" I started. "I had a good time today. Your friends are nice."

Seth smiled that lovely smile of his. "I'm glad you had a good time. And they're crazy, but they're also family. I'm sorry about what Collin asked you; he doesn't really have a filter."

"It's completely fine; I wasn't insulted or anything, I just hope you didn't yell at him too much." As I felt sand start to slip between my toes, I pulled my shoes completely off, stuffing my socks into them and letting them dangle in my hands by the strings.

"He got what he deserved." There was a pause before, "You have small feet," Seth commented, looking down as I wiggled her toes in the sand.

"I guess I do."

He gently tugged my free hand out of my sweatshirt pocket and gently cradled it in his own as we walked. "Small hands, too."

I shrugged.

"Everything about you is delicate," he mused. "But I guess it doesn't help that you barely eat anything."

"Like I said before, I have a… sensitive stomach. I have to watch what I eat and how much." I looked down at my toes; they were nearly swallowed by the sand. "It's miserable," I admitted. "Honestly, I could have eaten that entire tray of brownies I brought by myself, but I knew that if I did I would have just gotten sick because of it."

"That's strange," he stated. "That you love to cook but you can barely eat anything you make."

"I'm used to it, though," I sighed, covering my mouth to hide a sudden yawn.

He hadn't yet let go of my hand, and had twined our fingers together. "Tired?"

"A little." In truth, I was absolutely exhausted. Going out and talking to new people had drained me, and I was running on empty. "I'm fine though."

"Let's sit," he gently ordered, tugging her over to a large piece of driftwood that had been rounded out by wind and time to make a perfect seat.

Relieved to be off of my feet, I dropped my shoes on the ground and reached down to rub my sore heel.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked suddenly.

I blinked, not expecting the random question. "Um, I don't know. I don't really have a favorite, but I like rustic colors. Browns, reds, oranges. Dark greens and navy blues."

"Really?" His tone was curious. Seth turned to face me fully, his eyes trained on my face. "Any particular reason?"

"Not really," I responded, thoughtful. "I've always loved colors that reminded me of nature. I never really had a lot of that back home; I was always in cities or towns so there weren't many forests like there are here. You'd have to drive forever to get to the beach… But here, there are trees and plants everywhere and the ocean is just a few minutes away. It's absolutely…" Suddenly, I blushed. "Sorry, I'm babbling."

"No, no," he shook his head. "I like hearing you talk. Do you miss your home?"

"More than anything," I said, my voice wistful. I looked down at my hands where they played with the hem of my sweatshirt.

"Why did you leave if you loved it there so much?"

"I didn't leave because I _wanted_ to leave." I frowned, biting the nail on my thumb. There was a tightness in the pit of my chest that urged me to just blurt out my entire life story to Seth. Instead, I slipped out, "It was a combination of things. My family needed a change of scenery."

He was quiet, obviously waiting for my to elaborate.

"It's complicated."

Seth hesitated before asking, "Does it have to do with your parents?"

It was a bold question, but instead of feeling angry with him for prying, I just felt tired. "Kind of. It was part of it. It was easier for everyone that we just moved here."

"Can I ask what happened?" he said, his tone soft and slightly sheepish. He took my hand once more and played with my fingers. His palm was at least twice the size of my own, but it was warm and comforting, and I was grateful. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to; I don't want to overstep my boundaries or anything."

"It was a car accident," I answered, watching our conjoined hands. "They had to go pick up my brother from the airport because he was coming home from college after his exams were over, but it was storming. They weren't – they couldn't see through the rain, and neither could the other cars."

"Were you close with them?"

"Yeah, my dad was basically my hero." I stared out at the horizon, my thoughts taking me to a long lost and faraway place. "He was a paramedic. My mom owned a used bookstore, and every day after school I would head over there and read until closing time. It was great."

The sea air filled my lungs with an unfamiliar dampness as an ocean wind gently brushed against us.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"No, it's okay," I responded, gently patting his hand. "You were curious; I'm not going to be angry at you for that. I'm happy with the time I spent with them, you know? Some people don't even get that much, so I'm grateful."

"That's a good way of looking it."

I just shrugged. "What about you? Were you close with your dad?"

He nodded, giving me a full smile. "He and I were really close. He was a tribal elder, so he was busy a lot, but whenever he had a weekend free he would take me fishing or out to watch the sunrise or something. I'm really close with my mom, too."

"She's really sweet," I commented. "Your mom, I mean."

"She's one of the greatest women in the world," Seth laughed. "But I guess I'm a little biased."

"How's her relationship going with Charlie?"

Seth made a face.

I chuckled. "What, you don't approve?"

"It's not that I don't approve," he explained. "It's just that Charlie was a really good friend of my dad's, and it's weird to picture my momdating him. It's weird to picture my mom dating _anyone, _to be honest," he shrugged.

"That's very mature of you," I complimented, pulling my knees up to my chest. "Most people wouldn't like the fact that their mother is dating again and would try anything to stop it from happening."

"It's not like I could stop her even if I wanted to," Seth replied. "But Charlie makes her happy and when she's happy, I'm happy."

"You're a very happy person," I mused, cocking my head to the side. "Almost every single time I see you it's like you have this huge smile on your face."

He shrugged, but smiled.

"See, like that!" I exclaimed, laughing slightly at Seth's sudden smile. "You're always smiling. I don't think I've ever met a person that was as happy as you are."

"Then obviously," Seth said, "You haven't been hanging around the right people."

The corners of my mouth turned upwards. "Apparently I haven't. Do you really have that much to be happy about that you have a permanent smile on your face?"

"I love being happy, you know? I would rather walk around feeling cheerful than scowling at everyone I see – my sister does that enough for both of us."

"Was something wrong?" I asked. "She didn't look too happy to be there."

He waved away my concern. "She doesn't like going to Sam and Emily's place. It's kind of a long story, but… she and Sam used to date, but then he ended their relationship. Not long after he got together with Emily, who was not only our cousin, but also one of Leah's best friends."

I winced. "Ouch. Why does she hang around then?"

This question was a bit harder for Seth to explain. "It's complicated."

"Lots of complications going on these days, apparently."

"Life is a complicated thing," Seth pointed out.

"Too complicated, sometimes."

"But then when you look back after the worst is over and realize that it was barely even a bump in your life."

I smiled bitterly. "Not always."

Seth glanced at me, his expression amused. "Don't tell me that you're one of those 'glass is half empty' types of people."

I pursed her lips and shot back, "Don't tell me you're one of those 'glass is half _full'_ types of people."

"Touché," responded Seth. He tapped his chin. "I'll make an optimist out of you, and you'll start seeing the glass as half full, too."

"You sound confident in yourself."

"I _am_ confident in myself," Seth stated. "I have that effect on people."

"Have fun trying, but I'm quite happy being a pessimist. It suits me."

Seth sighed. "Oh, come on. You can't tell me that you don't get tired of always looking at the world in a negative light. Don't you ever wish you could just wake up in the morning and be happy to be alive?"

My eye twitched. Something about his words just struck a chord in the pit of my gut. He had no idea how hard it was to look at the world and see the good in it; how easy it was to see nothing but the bad because that's all there _was._ Something must have flashed behind my eyes, because the look on Seth's face told me that he could tell he struck a nerve.

"I _am_ happy to be alive," I responded, glaring. "I'm grateful every time I open my eyes in the morning and for every time I take a breath, but that doesn't mean that I have to be positive all the time. Fate hasn't exactly been kind to me, Seth."

"Fate never gives us anything we can't handle," he argued. "One day you're going to look back on every obstacle you've ever faced and think, 'Man, I never realized how insignificant' –"

"Insignificant?" I asked incredulously. "I don't know what kind of carefree La La Land you've built for yourself inside that brain of yours, but the _real world _isn't so kind. Some problems aren't insignificant; sometimes they're so vast that they take over your life and eat you down from the inside."

"Only if you let them," he argued. "When my dad died, it felt like the end of the world for me. I basically went through hell, because a lot of stuff went down and there was a whole storm of crap that I had to deal with. My entire life was flipped on its side, but I still made time to tell myself that I could still enjoy the things that I loved. I could still cook with my mom, bug my sister, hang out with my friends, go and see the sunrise… Life wasn't going to stop because I had a problem, and I wasn't going to let fate control who I was. I didn't want to be angry and sad for the rest of my life because things didn't go the way I wanted."

I frowned, pulling away from him completely; my heart ached at the loss of his touch. I turned away and started to pull on my shoes. "It's not that simple. You don't understand."

He hoped off of the log and moved in front of me, forcing me to look at him. "Explain it to me; make me understand." He took my hands. "What is it that's eating you down, Annie?"

I felt desperate, angry, and hurt. I couldn't explain it to him; I couldn't _make _him understand. It was one of those things that you could never comprehend unless you've lived through it. For a while I was quiet, unsure what to say. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep, but I also wanted the pain to just go away.

Finally, I opened my mouth, my words surprising even me. "It's getting late. I promised Eli that I would be home for dinner. I need to get home."

He frowned, taking a small step back to give me a bit of space. I walked away from him, back towards the house. Seth followed, head down and hands in his pockets.

He didn't say a word.

* * *

_Uley Household, La Push, Washington:_

Back at the Uley house, gossip was flying in every direction.

"I like her," Emily stated, having taken Annie's vacated seat. "She's sweet."

"Kind of quiet," Kim added, "but she's really nice. I think she's good for Seth."

"She's hiding something," Leah commented, staring thoughtfully at the front door. "You can tell by the way she holds herself – as if she just wanted to shrink down and disappear into the floor."

Quil leaned back in his chair, stretching. "She was probably just nervous, Leah. Can you blame her? We're an intimidating group of people."

Leah snorted. "She was like that at the dinner at Charlie's, too. There's something strange about her."

"Well she probably thought there was something strange about you, too," Jacob scolded his second in command, "considering the way you were sulking the whole time she was here."

Scowling, Leah pushed off of the wall and moved toward the front door. "I'm going to go patrol. If any of you need me, you know where to find me."

"She's probably going to spy on them," stated Embry, amused at Leah's reactions. "But I think Leah is right. There _was _something strange about her."

"She didn't get nervous until Collin asked her if she was sick," Jared stated.

At that, Sam scowled at Collin. "I still can't believe you asked her that. Didn't your mother teach you manners?"

"At least I took one for the team, unlike you cowards." He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "Don't pretend that none of you weren't curious. And did you see how she reacted? All of the blood rushed out of her face; I hit a nerve when I asked her that, I could tell. And you know what I realized? _She never gave me an answer_."

"But it isn't any of our business," Emily interjected sternly, meeting the eyes of everyone at the table. "If there is something wrong then we should wait until she's ready to tell us. We aren't going to pry into her personal life anymore." She gave a glare to Collin, before giving a gentle tap to her husband's hand as Sam placed his hands on her shoulders. "Besides, it isn't as if we don't have secrets of our own that we're keeping from her."

"Not for long, though. Has Seth decided when he's going to tell her?" Kim asked.

"Sometime after the bonfire probably," Jacob answered. "At least, that's what he told me. He said that his relationship with her is fragile enough as it is, so he doesn't want to rush things."

"Do you think she'll take it well?" Quil popped the last bit of his brownie into his mouth. "I mean, the track record with the older imprints finding out about the pack isn't really great."

Jacob just shrugged. "Who can say how she'll take it. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

"And if she takes it badly? What then?"

"We have to trust in the imprint," replied Sam. "Fate wouldn't have matched them together if they weren't good for each other."

For the first time since their conversation started, Brady spoke, his voice soft and hesitant. "And if whatever she's hiding ends up hurting Seth as much as our secret might hurt her, what do we do then?"

For once, it seemed like no one had an answer.

* * *

_Stratford Household, Forks, Washington:_

The ride back to Forks seemed to take hours. Seth had attempted to start a conversation several times, but every time he spoke I would shut him down with one-word answers. I knew I was being mean, and my mother was probably rolling over in her grave at my rudeness, but I couldn't help it.

The same words kept repeating themselves over and over in my head:

_He'll never understand._

_You're just going to hurt him. _

_He won't want to be with you when he finds out, so you might as well give up now._

I squeezed my eyes shut, hating my situation and myself.

When we reached the house, I immediately put my hand on the car door handle, but didn't open it. "Thanks for taking me to meet your friends; I had a great time," I complimented, though both of us could tell that my heart wasn't in my words.

He swallowed. "I'm glad you had a good time. Listen, I'm sorry that –"

"Don't," I interrupted, feeling a bit of pity go through me at the miserable tone in his voice. "Don't apologize, I don't want you to apologize."  
"I don't know what you want me to say," he admitted.

"I don't want you to say anything. I just…" My voice trailed off, my fingers still splayed across the cool metal of the door handle. I fiddled with it mindlessly, staring up at the flickering light on the front porch. "I want you to understand where I'm coming from here. Some problems just can't be fixed no matter how hard you try. You can cry, scream, beg, but no matter how much tape or Band-Aids you use, the problems will still be a permanent fixture in your life."

"I wish you would talk to me about what it is that you think you can't fix," he said. "I want to help you. Why won't you let me do that?"

"Because I don't know you," I responded immediately. "And you don't know me. It feels like we've known each other for ages and I have to keep reminding myself that I've only known you for a few weeks."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked. "Maybe fate is telling us that we were supposed to be friends? Why is it so bad that I want to be around you? Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Because I'm terrified!" I cried out, angrily running my hands through my hair. "I'm terrified that one of us is going to be hurt. I'm terrified that… that you won't want to be around me when you find out. I won't…"

"Won't what?" he pressed gently, urging me to continue.

My eyes felt swollen and itchy from unshed tears. I rubbed them, refusing to let Seth, of all people, see me cry. I shoved open the car door and climbed down, almost stumbling onto the hard ground. "I'm sorry, I have to go inside."

"Wait!" Somehow he was out of the truck and at my side before I could even blink. He placed his hands on my arms and bent down slightly so he could look me in the eye. "I don't know what it is that you're afraid of and I don't know why you're not letting yourself have a friend, but I want you to know that I'm not going to give up. I'm _never _going to give up, okay?"

"Seth –" My voice cracked, and I clamped my mouth shut.

"Whatever it is you're going through," he continued, "I'm going to fight it for you. I'm going to do my best to stop the pain, even if it kills me in the process."

I winced, and a tear slipped out of my eye. "Seth, you –"

He wiped away the wetness on my cheek with his thumb. "I understand if you never want to talk to me ever again, but I want you to know that no matter where I am or what I'm doing, you just need to call my name and I'll be there for you. Nothing is going to chase me away. If you want me, I'll be there."

"Why?" I asked, angrily wiping at my eyes for betraying me.

Seth leaned forward and planted a strong and meaningful kiss on my forehead, doing his best to place how much he meant his words into the kiss. "Because you're worth it."

* * *

A slight knock sounded at my bedroom door. "Annie?" Eli pushed open the door and poked his head inside. "You've been up here ever since Seth brought you home. Is everything okay? I brought you some dinner if you're hungry."

I made an unintelligible muffled noise. Surrounded by my pillows and blankets, I had made myself a comfortingly warm little nest in my bed and hadn't moved since I first plopped myself down, my thoughts racing in several different directions.

The bed sunk slightly as Eli sat. There was a light clinking sound as a plate was placed on my bedside table; his hand brushed comfortingly against my hair. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I managed to say.

"Did Seth do something?"

"No. Yes." I sniffed miserably. "No; I'm just stupid and he's absolutely perfect. I hate my life."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eli asked.

I slowly shoved off my blankets and moved so that I was curled up against my brother's side. It wasn't the warmth that accompanied being near Seth, but it would have to do. "We kind of got into a little argument. It wasn't big, but it really got to me. It was about problems, and I told him that some problems couldn't be fixed, and we argued about it. Then later I asked him…" I rubbed my eyes. "I asked him why he was trying so hard to be my friend; why he was so desperate to be near me."

"What did he say?"

"He said…" I blinked, clutching his shirt. "He said that whatever it was that was causing me pain that he'd fight it for me. He told me that I was worth it."

"And?"

"Eli, I can't... I can't do that to him. He's just so amazing and sweet and happy," I choked on my words, my voice thick with tears. "If we got to be great friends and something happens to me, what then? I can't cause him that kind of pain."

"Annie," Eli started, throwing a comforting arm around my shoulder, "nothing is going to happen to you, okay? You're going to live a long, happy, and successful life with a husband and kids and your dream job in your dream house. This… you being ill is just a small bump in the road."

I was quiet. "Seth said something similar to that. That's what caused our argument."

He ran a hand over the top of my head. "Do you remember what dad used to say? How sometimes things happen and we can't control them; it's so difficult to fight against them, and it feels like trying to keep the ocean away from the shore. No matter how many times you push it away, it's going to come back even stronger."

"That's not making me feel better," I muttered.

"But that doesn't mean," he continued, "that we can't just go with the waves and follow them to where they want to lead us. Sometimes the best things are hidden in places that can only be found once you've gone through the storm."

"Eli –"

"Seth obviously makes you happy, Annie," he told me. "Let him do that."

"I want to be alone," I said quietly, pulling away slightly. "I need time to think. Please."

Eli sighed. "Please eat something. At least a little bit of what I brought you, just to ease my peace of mind."

I nodded.

"I'll be back to check on you later."

I nodded again.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, much like Seth had done several hours before. "Get some rest," Eli ordered softly. "I love you."

My eyes shot up to Eli's. "Love you, too."

Eli left without another word, gently closing my bedroom door behind him. I sniffled, curling myself up on my bed. I felt weak, idiotic, and humiliated. There was a part of me that craved to be Seth's friend more than anything in the world; I wanted to be close to him, to touch him, hear his laugh, and listen to him talk.

But there was another part of me that knew it wasn't a good idea; a part that was shouting at me, saying that all I was going to do was hurt him like I would eventually hurt Luke and Charlotte and Georgia. The thought of being near him made my heart soar with joy, but the thought of staying away from him tore it to pieces. Being Seth's friend would be an amazing experience, but at what cost?

I closed my eyes and sighed, attempting to steady my breathing. There would be no sleep for me tonight.

Elsewhere, deep in the forest, I heard a heartbreaking howl of a wolf.

* * *

**Reviews are food for the soul!**


	10. Brady's Matchmaking Service

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! I know that I don't respond to each and every one but please know that each one is highly appreciated and makes me smile! :)**

**Note: I understand that many people are excited for Annie to tell Seth about her cancer, but I've read a lot of stories where big secrets were really rushed to be revealed, so I'm trying to draw it out a little bit more. Also, this is a big secret for her and she's trying to avoid telling him, if possible, so that the list of 'casualties' are lowered if something happens to her.**

**Thanks again for your reviews; you're all lovely!**

* * *

Chapter 10:

"_And when at last you find someone whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter – they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long." – Sylvia Plath, __The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath_

_Stratford Household, Forks, Washington:_

As soon as I was sure that Eli had gone to sleep, I climbed out of my bed and made my way outside. It had been a very mentally tiring day, one that I wished I could quickly push aside into the very corners of my mind to forget about for all of eternity.

Seth had just been… so _Seth-_like. So wonderful, happy, kind, and absolutely perfect. I hated the way that I had spoken to him; hated the way that I kept pushing him away when all I wanted to do was grab him around the waist and never let him go for the rest of my probably short life.

I could picture myself being happy with Seth. I could see a vague image of us picnicking at the beach and laughing as the sun set across the ocean, eating dinner with our families, staying awake through the night watching corny movies, cooking large feasts just for the hell of it and getting into a food fight and making a huge mess in the kitchen…

_Listen to yourself, _snapped a voice inside my head. _So you're happy for a few months, maybe even a few years if you're lucky. What happens after that?_

_You're going to leave him behind just like that and hurt him just as bad as you'll hurt everyone else._

_You should be ashamed of yourself._

_He deserves better than you._

I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders as I pushed open the front door. My bare feet pressed against the wood of the porch as I subconsciously looked around for Buddy, wishing that he were there to give some semblance of comfort. I curled myself up into a tiny ball on the porch swing, resting my head against the chains that kept the swing attached to the wood.

I sniffed, wiping my nose on the back of my sleeve like a child, wanting to do nothing more than crawl into a hole in the ground for the rest of my life. I wrapped my arms around my knees, scanning the tree line for nothing in particular.

_Maybe I could live in the forest as a hermit for the rest of my life, _I thought bitterly. _It'll save everyone a lot of trouble._

"This is a disaster," I murmured aloud, resting my head against my knees.

"I don't think it's _that _bad. Could be worse."

I jumped, almost falling off the swing. There, standing near the bottom step was Seth's friend, Brady.

"What the hell are you doing here? It's three in the morning."

He just shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood," he stated evasively.

"Shirtless and barefoot?" I eyed his naked torso warily. "Is this something you La Push boys do often? Because it's kind of strange."

"Only sometimes; we like to spice up life a little bit every once in a while."

"Why are you here?" I asked tiredly, not at all amused.

He trotted up the steps and leaned casually against the porch railing. "Like I said, I was in the neighborhood. I saw you were out here and figured I'd come over and talk to you."

My eyes narrowed. "Did Seth send you?"

"Seth has no idea I'm here. He went straight home after he dropped you off; seemed kind of upset."

I frowned. "He told you what happened?"

"He told me bits and pieces, but not the whole story. He also told me that he was going to give you some space because that's what you apparently want, at the moment." he gestured to the empty seat on the swing next to me. "You mind?"

I shook my head. "No."

Sighing in relief, Brady sat; the swing squeaked in protest at our combined weight. "I want to apologize for what Collin said to you earlier today. He didn't mean any harm by it, he's just an idiot sometimes and doesn't know how to conduct a polite conversation."

"And you do?" I asked.

"I think I'm doing pretty well right now," he admitted, turning to face me as I played with the strands on the end of my quilted blanket. "Are you okay?"

I distractedly bit at the nail of my pinky finger. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Seth said that whenever you get stressed or upset, you bite your nails. I was only making an observation."

Immediately, I pulled my hand away from my mouth and settled them in my lap.

"I'm not an idiot, you know," Brady responded, stretching out his long legs. "Seth is one of my best friends. He's a great guy and always tries to see the good in people no matter how much shit happens in his life. If you don't want to be his friend, my advice is to stop contact with him before either of you get hurt."

I winced. "But… I _want_ to be his friend; that's part of the problem."

"That doesn't make any sense," Brady stated. He nodded, though, as if he was expecting me to say something like this.

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "I don't want to hurt him; that's the last thing I want to do."

"Then why are you trying so hard to push him away?"

I looked away, partially hiding my face behind the blankets and my hair. "I can't tell you," I said softly.

"He really likes you," Brady told me, tugging on my pajama pants. "More than I've ever seen him like anyone he's ever met. I can tell you like him, too."

"He's a great guy."

"Give him a chance to explain his side, then," Brady replied. "Come to the bonfire this Saturday; I'll even drive you there, if you want. Jacob's dad is going to be telling the Quileute legends, and it isn't often that outsiders are invited to hear them. Come listen to the legends, spend some time with Seth, and let him explain what's been going on."

"So he _has _been hiding something," I stated thoughtfully. "I knew it."

"You have your secrets and so do we," he pointed out, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe once you find out _everything_, you'll be willing to tell us what's going on and let us help you."

"Us?"

"All of us. The guys, Kim, Emily, and Leah. We care about you, too."

"You've only met me once," I replied weakly, pushing a strand of my unwashed hair behind my ear. "What is it with you people in La Push? You're all so… kind."

Brady stood, stretching his arms above his head. "You're a cool chick," he said. "And Seth is family, which means that by extension, _you _are family, too. We protect our own."

I wiped at my eyes and let out a light chuckle. "That sounds like something a mafia boss would say."

Brady just smiled, and spoke his next words with a pretend Italian accent, "Trust me, we're a lot cooler than the mafia." He glanced toward the trees and scowled, his voice back to normal. "So. This Saturday, be ready for seven; bonfire starts around eight, so we should get there in time."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for me to even go?"

"Yes," he insisted. "It would have to happen eventually, so might as well get it over with."

I nodded, watching as Brady slowly retreated toward the trees. I didn't bother questioning where the hell he was going; I figured that if he managed to get himself to my house that he would be fine in finding his own way home.

"Oh, before I forget." Brady turned around, fists clenching and unclenching slightly in anticipation. "You should go inside," he ordered, his tone giving off a warning. "It isn't safe out here."

"But it's safe for you?"

He winked. "Of course, babe. Don't you know I'm invincible?"

* * *

_Seth is going to freak when he finds out what you just did, _commented an amused Collin from somewhere in the forest on the reservation.

Brady scoffed, eyeing the Stratford house to make sure Annie had gone safely inside. She glanced out disappointingly at the tree line before she disappeared, the door closing gently behind her. _He'll be too busy thanking me to even be mad. Besides, I convinced her to come to the bonfire, so I should be getting a reward for this._

_You're turning into a matchmaker._

_Love is in the air,_ muttered Brady. _I guess I'm just getting tired of the drama. Whatever it is that Annie's hiding can't be __**that **__bad… But I guess you never really know what's going on in someone else's life unless you've been in their shoes._

_Thanks for the fortune cookie advice, Buddha._ Collin snorted. _Personally I don't understand what the big deal is. And I hope you realize what you've done._

_I'm like a saint,_ responded Brady. He let out a wolfy grin at the feel of his paws pounding against the hard dirt as he headed back in the direction of La Push. _I did a good thing here, and hopefully everything will be solved by Sunday._

Collin laughed at his friend. _Personally, I don't get the appeal of imprinting; I hope I never imprint. The drama would probably kill me._

_Seems to have worked out pretty well for everyone else._

_Oh, no, _stated Collin, horrified.

_What?_

_Don't tell me you're on the imprint train now._

_So what if I am? _Brady shot back, agitated. _I'm just getting tired of being alone; imprinting doesn't seem to be as bad as we originally thought it was, so why shouldn't I have my own happy ending if I want it?_

Collin let out a loud groan. _Come on, Brade. We were supposed to be happy bachelors forever, and now you want an imprint too? What is the world coming to?_

_Maybe you need an imprint, _Brady commented, almost to himself. _To stop yourself from being a jackass._

_I'm never going to imprint._

_It's not like it's something you can prevent, _Brady argued. _If it happens, it happens. You don't get to choose._

_Remind me to tell Embry that he and I are the only ones in the Single Man's Club now, because you're already whipped and you don't even __**have **__an imprint._

Brady let out a snarl. _Go ahead and insult me. Be bitter for the rest of your life, I don't fucking care. And have fun patrolling by yourself; I'm going home. I don't have to deal with this shit._

Brady scowled as he ran the rest of the way back toward his house, blocking out Collin's thoughts. He phased, muttering angrily to himself.

Imprinting was a complicated and tense topic for him. Originally, he didn't get the appeal. Being stuck with the same person forever didn't seem like a great deal, and he didn't see what was so wonderful about the imprints, either.

Emily was pretty, yes, and kind; definitely good for Sam, but not someone that Brady would have picked. Rachel was so far out of Paul's league that she was in another galaxy, and Kim was shy and dorky even before Jared noticed her; a plain and simple girl, who – he would admit – had opened up quite a bit since she had been introduced into the pack. Annie was the newest imprint and to Brady, she was one of the most interesting – an enigma wrapped into a thin, 100 pound package. Then there were Claire and Nessie – _why _the Spirits would imprint two of the guys to children, Brady had no idea.

Not that he didn't love the girls in the pack, since he knew he would protect them with his life if it came down to it, but he didn't see the appeal that the other guys saw. None of them were completely knockout gorgeous, incredibly intelligent, or hilariously funny. Sure they were great people and more than once had Brady gone to Emily, Rachel, or Kim for advice or played with Claire and helped babysit when Quil was busy with patrol, but there was nothing _overly_ special about them.

Nothing at all.

It was truly a mystery that Brady had spent long hours pondering over, trying to figure out what it was that made those particular girls perfect for the pack guys. He didn't understand why Seth had wanted to imprint so badly; he didn't understand why everything had to change and people had to get tied down. After all, 'true love' didn't exactly work out for his parents, so why should it work out for him?

But there had grown a curiosity inside of Brady that hadn't been there before; a part of him that wanted to experience it, just to see what it was like.

And now… Now he wanted to imprint, just so he wouldn't be alone.

* * *

_La Push Road, La Push, Washington:_

The days before the bonfire were dreary and dreadful. Having come down with a horrible migraine that I hadn't been able to get rid of and awful chest pains that nearly tore my heart into pieces, I had stayed in bed most of the time. Eli, who had been hovering over me almost every second for the past four days, had almost taken me to the emergency room.

I had, of course, protested, claiming that it would pass sooner or later. He had reluctantly let me stay home, though he had argued extensively with me when I had stated that she would be spending Saturday evening in La Push. With a little pouting and some puppy dog eyes, I was able to convince him that maybe – just maybe – the fresh air would be good for me to enjoy. I had been cooped up in that house for so long that I felt as if I was starting to become a piece of the furniture; regular outings into the outside world for fresh air was what made Forks a prime place for us to move in the first place. It would have been stupid, I had argued, for me to just stay inside all the time.

But now I was slightly regretting my decision since, as it turned out, Brady was not the world's greatest driver.

"If you knew that you can barely drive," I asked through clenched teeth as Brady slammed to a stop at a red light, "then why the hell did you offer to bring me to the bonfire?"

Brady didn't seem fazed by his awful driving. I, on the other hand, was clutching his arm and the door handle for dear life. "Well," he stated casually, "I was originally going to convince Collin to come with me to pick you up since he's a much better driver, but he and I aren't exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment."

"Oh, I'm –" My head slammed back against the seat as he shot forward down the highway at a speed that should have been illegal. "I'm sorry."

"Eh, no biggie." Brady shrugged, but I could tell that whatever was going on between him and Collin was really bothering him. "He'll get over it eventually."

"Mind if I ask what happened?"

"It was an argument over something stupid. It's a long story."

"I'm sorry," I repeated. My face was probably pale and I felt a bit queasy at the rough ride. Collin didn't even notice.

"If everything goes well tonight then you'll be able to eventually figure out what it was about."

"So it's one of those secret things, huh?"

"Yep. Welcome to La Push: the land of secrets and home of 24 hours a day rain and stormy weather."

"And the home of freakishly large people who look like they're on steroids," I muttered, thinking back to how large Seth and all of his friends were.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." I swallowed. "Are we almost there? I'd like to get there alive, if I can."

He carelessly waved away my concern. "Stop worrying; I've been driving for ages and there have never been any casualties."

That didn't exactly make me feel any better.

"Well, there were a few mailboxes who have been victim to my wonderful driving skills, but that's about it."

_Oh, God, _I thought miserably. _I'm going to die._

"I'm insulted that you look so worried," Brady commented, glancing over at me. "I'm not _that _terrible of a driver."

"You're pretty awful," I disagreed.

"I'll get you there in one piece," he promised.

"I'll believe it when we get there."

We sped along the highway for several minutes, Brady lost in his own thoughts while I prayed to every deity that I had ever heard of that we would survive the trip to First Beach.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he randomly asked.

"Uh, sure go ahead," I winced as Brady sped past a stop sign.

"Be honest with me here. What are your feelings for Seth?"

I blinked. "That's a pretty loaded question, don't you think? Why do you ask?"

"It kind of has to do with what Collin and I were arguing about," he admitted. "Feelings, love, friendship… soul mates. That kind of thing."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second," I interrupted. "Who said anything about soul mates? I've only known the guy for a few weeks."

"But you feel it, don't you?" he asked. "That pull inside of your heart? Some kind of connection or something?"

I gave him a strange look. "How did you know that?"

"Seth feels it, too," he answered. "Probably even stronger than you do."

I rubbed at my chest right above my heart, feeling that clenching feeling return.

"What does it feel like?" Brady asked.

"I don't…" I looked down at her hands. "I can't describe it. I want to be around him, and be near him. It's painful, but it's a good kind of pain. I've never met anyone like him before in my entire life, but there's just… something about him."

We were both quiet, until Brady stated, "We're here."

I wanted to jump out of the car and kiss the ground, but realized that my dignity might not be able to take it, so I didn't. Instead, I worried myself. What would Seth say? Would he be angry? Upset? Would he want me to leave and never come back? I would understand completely if that was the case, but it would still break my heart. I knew that I had been an idiot, but there was only so much that I could do to change my past actions.

I _wanted _to be friends with him. I _wanted_ to speak to him and hold him, to spend time with him, hold his hand, hug him. I wanted to sit him down and tell him everything that was wrong, even though I was terrified.

But I was tired of running away from what I wanted –

And I wanted Seth Clearwater in any way he would let me have him.

I would tell him tonight, if I had the chance. As soon as humanly possible, I would tell him everything; everything that I had been hiding, everything that I had been so afraid to tell him.

_Seth, I have cancer._

My mouth went dry at the very thought of speaking those words aloud.

With a comforting hand on the small of my back, Brady led me forward down the beach where a small group was laughing and joking around a steadily growing fire.

"Remember," Brady murmured as we walked, "I didn't tell anyone that I had convinced you to come, especially not Seth, so I apologize ahead of time if he freaks out on you."

"You think he will?" I asked, nervously pulling my sleeves down to my hands. "Maybe I shouldn't have come. I mean, I'm an outsider; I'm not Quileute, I shouldn't even be here."

"He shouldn't freak out in a bad way, but if it looks like he's about to pass out, push him in the direction _away _from the bonfire."

I gave him a sour look.

"And you have as much right to be here as the rest of us do," he continued sternly, his hand strong on my back as if I was ready to bolt at any second.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," I admitted, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

"Breathe," he commanded. "Relax."

I didn't want to respond, but as it turned out, I didn't have to.

"Annie!"

I was wrapped in a gentle hug from Kim, who was the first to notice my arrival. Gently patting her back, I gave a look to Brady, who winked.

"I'm so glad you were able to make it," she said sincerely, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I know that the lunch at Emily's didn't go exactly as planned, but I'm very happy you came to the bonfire. Hopefully everything will be cleared up tonight."

"I almost _didn't_ come," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head. "Brady convinced me to come and hear the legends."

Kim smiled, her eyes shooting a meaningful look to Brady. "And I'm very glad he did." She tugged on Annie's hand, leading her towards the bonfire. "Come on; Rachel and Paul were able to make it, so you finally get to meet them, and Claire, Billy, and Old Quil, too. And later, you'll even be able to meet Nessie since Jacob is bringing her from Forks."

"Um, okay?"

The party was already in full swing. Scattered around the fire were several people I didn't recognize – more than I had anticipated – and some that I did. I eyed the recognizable people with a sigh of relief; Sam and Emily sat close together, hands conjoined. Embry and Quil, who had a young girl of about age three on his lap, sat near them. This was where Kim led me first.

"You made it!" exclaimed Emily cheerfully, alerting the rest of the group to my presence. She extracted herself from Sam's embrace and hugged me, pulling back only slightly to hold me at arm's length. "I'm so happy you could make it and that the guys didn't scare you away. I was worried!"

I smiled, my cheeks reddening slightly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Emily threaded her arm through mine. "You already know the boys, but I want to introduce you to my niece, Claire. Claire, this is Annie."

The little girl gave a tiny smile, waving a chubby hand before hiding her face in Quil's shirt.

Everyone chuckled. "Sorry," said Quil, "she's kind of shy around new people. She'll warm up to you eventually."

"It's totally fine," I replied. "My little sister is the same way."

I waved a goodbye to an amused Sam, Quil, and Embry as Kim and Emily tugged me over again, this time toward a couple that I did not recognize who were sitting near two other men - one of whom was in a wheelchair - Jared, and Sue.

"Hey," said Jared happily as Kim plopped herself down in between his legs, "you made it!"

"Yep," I confirmed. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Now this is Paul Lahote and Rachel Black. Guys, this is _Annie_," Emily introduced, putting emphasis on my name. "Seth's friend."

The eyes of Paul and Rachel lit up in a comprehension that I didn't understand.

"It's nice to finally meet you," said Rachel with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, too; both of you," I replied. "I'm sorry to hear that you were sick; feeling any better?"

She snorted. "I'm feeling a lot better, thanks for asking. But trust me when I say that will be the last time I ever let this idiot cook for me." Rachel nudged Paul with her elbow.

He rolled his eyes. "The one time I try to do something nice for you, you end up holding it against me forever."

"You gave me food poisoning!" Rachel exclaimed. "What did you want, a reward?"

"I should get an A for effort," he argued.

Rachel just scoffed. "See what I have to deal with?" she asked me. "Crazy people, I swear."

Everyone laughed as Paul grabbed Rachel around the shoulder and planted a firm kiss on the top of her head. "See what _I _have to deal with?" Paul asked, his features fixed in a wide grin.

Rachel pushed him playfully away, smiling.

"Annie," Emily pulled me along a third time, "This is Billy Black – Rachel and Jacob's father – and Quil Ateara Sr. – Quil's grandfather. And of course, you already know Sue."

Sue stood and hugged me, taking me by surprise. "I'm glad you could make it, sweetheart," she murmured into my ear. "I'm so sorry about what happened between you and Seth; I know that he was so upset when he told me that you two had an argument."

Sue pulled back and I did my best to force a smile as I shook the hands of the both of the men. "It's very nice to meet you."

Billy, the man in the wheelchair, nodded. "It's very nice to meet you as well. We've heard a lot about you over the past few days." The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Are you excited to hear the legends tonight?"

"Very much so, sir," I answered. "As long as it's alright for me to be here, that is."

Billy carelessly waved a hand in the air. "Nonsense," he said. "It isn't often we let outsiders hear our legends, but there are a few exceptions," his eyes twinkled. "Such as when one of our own has a rather interesting bond with that outsider."

I blushed. "Uh…" I blinked. "Thank you?"

Behind me, Emily was hiding a laugh behind her hand. All of them, it seemed, knew something that I didn't. I felt like the tail end of a huge joke.

"We still have to wait a little while for everyone else to get here," said Emily, "So just pick a spot somewhere and just relax. It shouldn't be long now until the rest of the group arrives."

"Including Seth," Sue added, exchanging a mischievous glance with Emily.

Feeling a bit sick, I walked over to where Brady had taken a seat in the sand next to Embry. Both boys said a simple hello as I automatically sat down, unconsciously scooting myself closer to Brady. After our heart-to-heart in the car, I felt a bit more comfortable around him. He smiled at me cheerfully, and asked, "Did the girls bring you to meet everyone?"

"Yeah," I answered. "Everyone's really nice."

Embry smirked. "I wouldn't really describe Paul as nice," he joked, "but he _has _gotten a lot better since he met Rachel."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He's kind of a hothead," stated Brady, nodding toward where Paul and Rachel sat. "Used to be really temperamental and all, but then one day he met Rachel when she came home to visit Billy and they had this instant connection; basically love at first sight. She whipped him into shape pretty quickly."

I let my eyes travel over Paul's tall and muscular body and his handsomely chiseled face. He certainly _looked _intimidating enough, especially as I watched him playfully shove Jared at something that had been said between the two. But watching the way he gently held Rachel, protectively keeping an arm around her waist as he whispered in her ear to make her laugh, I honestly couldn't picture him the way that Brady and Embry were describing.

There was a pureness in his gaze as he looked at Rachel – a kind of relief and satisfaction every time he saw even an inch of her face.

Now that I had thought about it, I realized that Rachel and Paul weren't the only ones that had that connection. I glanced around the fire, looking first at Kim, who was cuddled up in Jared's tight embrace; he had buried his face in her neck, and I could see him stroking her hand with his thumb. Further around the circle sat Emily, who was strangely by herself. But not for long, it seemed. Sam had appeared and dropped a thin blanket around her shoulders; she smiled at him lovingly as he sat down next to her, kissing the scars on her face as he rested a hand on her swollen belly.

So much love, so much adoration… It seemed almost otherworldly.

"What are you thinking?" asked Embry curiously, seeing the look of longing and confusion on my face.

I just wrinkled my nose and looked down at the sand. "That there's something strange about you guys; I just haven't figure out what it is."

Hearing what was being said, Quil commented, "Who knows? Maybe you might figure it out tonight."

"Maybe." I doubted it, but there wasn't any reason to tell that to them. "So where is everyone else?" I asked.

The guys exchanged a look. "Collin won't be coming; he's working," Brady answered. "Leah and Seth should be on their way here, though. Jacob, too. He had to go pick up Renesmee."

I shuddered in anticipation, stretching out my hands toward the fire.

"Ah, speak of the devil," said Embry.

I followed his gaze toward where two tall figures in the distance were walking toward us. Leah, head held high, headed to the empty spot next to her mother; seeing me, she raised an eyebrow, but quickly turned back around to start a conversation with Sue. Seth, on the other hand, kept his head down, trudging forward slowly and without any real purpose.

I frowned, guilt flooding through me. He looked like hell.

Suddenly, as if he could feel that he was being stared at…

He looked up, and his eyes met mine.

* * *

**Originally this chapter had another section at the end, but it was getting a bit long so I added it to the next chapter.**

**Next chapter: Annie finds out Seth's big secret and a bit of the aftermath of that.**

**Reviews are food for the soul!**


	11. Do You Believe In Miracles?

**Just to make this chapter a little longer than it would be, I inserted the legends into it; the way I wrote starts off based on the movie script, but I didn't make it **_**as **_**long as I could have and edited a bit to add a tiny bit more about imprinting. Enjoy!**

**Also, the next three chapters are basically when all hell breaks loose. I would consider this the climax of the story, and I apologize ahead of time because I know that quite a few people are going to be angry with me about causing so much pain to these poor characters. (Sorry?)**

**Deep down I'm a total BlackWater shipper and I hate the fact that Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, so in this chapter we have a little Jacob/Leah interaction.**

**Emily's story is taken from **_**The Twilight Saga Official Illustrated Guide,**_** and the Twilight Wiki.**

* * *

Chapter 11:

_Everywhere I turn, I hurt someone._

_But there's nothing I can say,_

_To change the things I've done._

_Of all the things I hid from you,_

_I cannot hide the shame._

_- Phil Collins, "No Way Out"_

"I know that it's probably really stupid of me to ask, but as your sister I feel the need to do so. Are you okay?"

Seth gave a heaving sigh, staring out the window of the car. "I don't even know anymore, Leah."

"Maybe you should sit this bonfire out like you originally wanted," his sister was saying. "I know it's important for the pack to be there and all – and I know mom said you should go – but maybe just this once you can skip out. I'm sure everyone would understand."

"And stay at home feeling sorry for myself? No thanks." He leaned his forehead against the passenger side window and scratched his jaw. He was exhausted. His nightmares, which had all but disappeared for days, had returned in full force.

But this time, he had remembered.

He winced, rubbing his eyes to erase the picture of his imprint with icy cold skin and dark red eyes that had been haunting his thoughts. _His _Annie, attacking him, trying to kill him, destroy him, and doing nothing able to stand back and let her do her worst.

"I heard you yelling in your sleep last night." She glanced at her brother. "You sounded like you were in physical pain. Bad dreams?"

"Nightmares…" Seth hesitated before admitting, "I've had them for a while recently, months before I met Annie, but I could never remember what they were about. After I met her, they eventually stopped, but they came back last night. And when I woke up this morning…"

"Hm?"

"I remembered."

Leah nodded, understanding.

"I just keep having these dreams where she gets hurt and I'm too late to save her. I don't know what to do anymore," he continued. "I'm at a loss here. Something is seriously wrong, Leah, and she won't tell me what it is. How am I supposed to help her if she won't tell me what's wrong?"

"Well she said it was something that can't be fixed, Seth," she answered. "Look, I may not like the imprint magic crap as much as the rest of you, but I like to think I understand it pretty well. Annie has to be feeling it; that has to be the only explanation."

"Explanation for what?" Seth asked. "For what she won't tell me?"

"_Yes,_" Leah said, her eyes locked on the road. "She probably feels the pull as much as you do. If whatever she's hiding is something that she thinks might hurt you, then that's why she's probably reluctant to tell you. Leave it be. She'll tell you eventually."

He crossed his arms over his chest and slumped down in his seat, hating the fact that his sister was making sense. "I don't like not knowing."

"Well, little brother, I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with it."

"I don't want to deal with it. I just want things to be okay again."

"Who knows?" Leah pointed out, flipping on her turn signal. "Maybe after she hears about the wolves – whenever you get a chance to tell her – she'll be more open to telling you whatever it is that's on her mind."

His imprint was pretty stubborn, so Seth doubted it. "For now I'm just going to give her the space she needs. I'll wait for her to contact me."

"You realize that won't be easy, right?" she asked.

"I'll sleep outside her house every night if I have to, just to be near her," he said. "But I don't want to push her too far. I'm afraid if I do one more stupid thing that she's never going to want to talk to me again."

Leah just shrugged. "She's your imprint. I guess that's just a chance that you have to be willing to take. Just…" she frowned, reaching over to ruffle Seth's hair. "Just take care of yourself, okay? You're a brat, but you're my little brother and I worry about you."

"Thanks, Leah."

Seth and his sister never really had the _perfect _sibling relationship; she always thought that he was annoying and he always thought that she was seriously crazy and borderline psychotic. However, Seth knew that his sister cared more about him that she would ever care to admit and didn't want to see him get hurt like she was. After all, Leah knew better than anyone how hurtful imprinting could be, but it was different for him. He wasn't a third party in the group; the person he loved didn't imprint on someone else.

Either way, he was grateful to Leah for doing her best to let him know that she cared in her own weird way.

"Ready to face the firing squad?" Leah asked, parking the car in an open spot.

"Not especially," Seth said.

"Well, too bad. Let's go; the faster we get there, the faster they can start and get it over with so we can go home."

With her head held high, Leah determinedly moved towards the group and to an open seat near their mother. Seth's eyes were trained on his feet as they sunk into the sand with each step; he followed behind a little slower, not really eager to have to listen to the legends about the Third Wife and hear about imprints. He wasn't really in the mood to do anything, really.

Then, as if something was buzzing around in front of his face, he could feel someone staring at him. He looked up…

And his heart stopped.

* * *

It felt like my soul was soaring.

Being near Seth Clearwater brought about a very fresh breath of air that filled my lungs; my thoughts that were scrambled had suddenly become clear, and all I wanted to do was run to him and throw myself into his arms and ask him to make everything okay.

Seth sped up his pace until he was all but sprinting the short distance to where I was sitting. He practically dived down into the sand, making the small granules partially cover my jeans as he tightly wrapped his arms around me. My arms were trapped at my sides with his hug, but I did my best to pat any part of his back that I could reach.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you're here," I heard him say.

His face was pressed into my neck, his breath trailing over my skin. I shivered, pressing my hands to his bare chest, bringing some of his warmth into my cold fingers.

"I'm so sorry about everything that's happened," I murmured, pulling free my hand to wrap it around his neck and awkwardly pat his back. "And as much as I'm enjoying the hug, I do need to breathe."

Immediately he released me, and a rush of air flew into my lungs. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I responded, giving him a small smile.

"I –"

"Why the _hell _don't you hug me like that?" asked Brady, looking insulted.

My smile grew as Seth gave Brady a sour look; Embry snorted in amusement. "Shut up, Brady." He turned back to me, his eyes shining. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," I responded. I bit my lip. "We have a lot to talk about."

He frowned. "Yeah, we do. I have so much that I need to tell you, but… I want you to hear the legends first, okay? Then we can talk."

That was fine with me. I wasn't exactly _eager _to tell Seth the truth. I just hoped that I wouldn't chicken out by the time the night was over. "Okay, I'm good with that. Are you… Are you okay? You look like you haven't been sleeping."

"I haven't been sleeping well, actually," Seth admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He moved to sit next to me, his side flush against mine as he took my hand. "Nightmares; its kind of a long story."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said. "It's mostly a result of my own stupidity."

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "How are nightmares a result of your own stupidity?"

"Like I said, it's a long story."

I sighed. More secrets.

Seth grimaced, seeing the unsettled look on my face. "I know it feels like I'm keeping a lot of stuff from you, but after tonight, you'll be able to know _everything. _I won't have to hide things from you anymore."

Nodding, I squeezed his hand. We both just had to get through this night unscathed, and we would all be in the clear. Hopefully.

Seth leaned over and kissed my temple before something caught his attention. "I think Jacob and Nessie are here."

"More people to meet?" I asked weakly.

He smiled. "Only one more, I promise."

Sure enough, Jacob was walking down the beach toward the group while someone was piggybacking on his back. He had a bright smile on his face as he reached us giving a swift greeting to the group.

The small girl dropped off of his back, and I was struck with an alarming feeling of awe. She looked to be about eleven years old, with long bronze curls and an adorable smile. She had to have been one of the most beautiful children I had ever seen in my life, and I was even more shocked when she spotted me, smiled, and made her way over with Jacob.

Jacob nodded in greeting, settling himself down on the ground next to Seth. "Hey, guys. Good to see you, Annie; I'm glad you were able to make it."

"Apparently so is everyone," I stated, peering around Seth to see Jacob.

"Annie, I want you to meet Nessie. Ness, this is Annie."

The beautiful child smiled, reaching out a hand for me to shake. "It's very lovely to meet you," she said, her words too articulate and clear for someone so young. "I'm Renesmee Cullen."

I blinked, my eyes flickering over to Seth for some sort of explanation. He just smiled at me encouragingly. "It's very nice to meet you, Renesmee. I'm Annie Stratford."

"I know who you are," Renesmee said cheerfully. "You're Seth's friend."

"Yeah," my eyes flickered over to Seth for the second time. "I am."

"How are you adjusting to Forks? My family has lived there for a long time."

This little girl must be some kind of child prodigy. "It's nice," I told her. "Everyone has been very welcoming."

"Story time, guys," interjected Seth, nodding toward where Billy was getting ready to speak. "Hope you're ready to hear the legends," he told me. "They're really interesting."

The air had stilled and turned a bit colder, as if the very atmosphere was waiting in anticipation to hear Billy Black's husky timbre voice recite the Quileute stories. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, hoping that I would be able to stay awake to hear the full story instead of falling asleep in this peaceful and sleepy environment.

"The Quileute's have been a small tribe from the beginning, but we have always had magic in our blood."

Looking around, I saw that everyone was already enraptured in Billy's tale. His voice was commanding, elegant, and almost regal.

"We were great spirit warriors, shape-shifters who could transform into the powerful wolf. This enabled us to scare off our enemies and protect our tribe. It looked like a man, but it was hard like stone and cold as ice."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seth send me a glance. I looked down into the fire as if I could see the very picture of the Quileute wolves, much like the one that had been hanging around my house – Buddy.

I listened intently as Billy continued, "Our warriors' sharp teeth managed to tear them apart… but only fire would completely destroy it. We lived in fear that the cold Man was not alone. We were right."

For some reason, the very thought of the cold man with the red eyes sent a chill up my spine. I shivered, and Seth gave my hand a comforting squeeze.

"She took her vengeance on the village. Our elder chief, Taha Aki, was the only spirit warrior left to save the tribe, after his son was killed."

I squeezed Seth's hand back.

"Taha Aki's Third Wife could see that he would lose. The Third Wife was no magical being, with no special power but one: courage. The special bond that she held with Taha Aki drove her to do whatever was necessary to save him and the tribe. Her sacrifice distracted the Cold Woman long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her. She saved the tribe, through her courage and her love."

It was so beautiful of a story, but sad at the same time. I felt… hurt just listening to the story about Taha Aki's Third Wife, and a bit awkward as if I was intruding on a private moment. Everyone in the group seemed to move closer to their significant other's; Paul rested his hand on Rachel's leg, Sam pulled Emily closer to his chest as Quil did the same with a sleeping Claire, Jacob rested a gentle hand on Renesmee's shoulder, and Jared placed a loving kiss on Kim's cheek.

"Over time," finished Billy, "our enemies have disappeared. But one remains – the Cold Ones."

The atmosphere changed again. The fire grew a little bit brighter and quiet chatter started up once more, as if none of them had just heard a tale about their history.

"What did you think?" asked Seth.

"What did I think? That was amazing!" I exclaimed. "I never knew the Quileute people had such a complex culture. Werewolves? That's… that's…"

"Amazing?" Brady offered.

"Awesome?" asked Embry.

"All of the above." I agreed. "Billy is an amazing storyteller."

"Yeah, he is." Biting his lip, Seth continued, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

I swallowed. This was it. It was officially time for _The Talk._

"Sure."

* * *

Leah Clearwater pursed her lips as she, along with most of the rest of the pack, watched her baby brother walk down the beach to a secluded area where he could spill the big secret to his imprint. A flicker of movement to her left caught her eye as her Alpha – along with his little half-vampire imprint – sat down next to her, sighing as he leaned back in the sand on his forearms.

"You look like you're thinking very hard about something," he mused, nudging the Beta with his shoulder. "There's smoke coming out of your ears."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious, Jacob." She glared at him, her eyes flickering over to where she had last seen her brother. He and his imprint had disappeared. "I'm just worried."

"Your brother is a big boy," Jacob stated firmly. "You should have a little faith in him."

"I _do _have faith in him," Leah snapped. She lowered her voice until it was almost unintelligible. "It's her I don't really have faith in, at the moment. You've seen how shitty Seth has been feeling lately. I'd rather not have to go through all that again."

"She's probably going to be your sister-in-law someday, so you might as well get used to her," Jacob pointed out.

Leah scowled. "I'm not saying I don't like her, I'm saying that their whole relationship worries me. Seth wears his heart on his sleeve. He's too…" She frowned. "_Innocent _for this kind of drama."

"You don't give him enough credit," said Jacob.

"Can you really blame me if I'm worried?" She bit her lip before confessing, "he told me that he's been having nightmares."

Jacob's eyebrows scrunched together. "He told you?"

Leah turned to stare at Jacob. "Wait, you _knew?_"

"Well, yeah, of course I knew."

"How did _you _find out?"

Jacob shrugged. "He told me. He was really confused because he could never remember what they were about, and he just needed someone to talk to about them. When did he tell you?"

"On the way here," Leah answered, crossing her arms over her chest, slightly hurt that her brother would talk to Jacob before he came to her for help. But then again, Seth had always looked up to Jacob, so she didn't know why she was surprised. "He said that they had stopped for a while but they came back. He remembered the one he had last night."

"Did he say what it was about?"

Leah just shook her head. "Nope, and I didn't ask. He looked pretty shaken, so I didn't want to bring it up again."

Jacob nodded. "I'll talk to him later."

"Well maybe if this night works out the way it's supposed to, then you won't _have_ to talk to him."

Jacob gave a long pensive look at where Seth and Annie had disappeared to; they were out of earshot, so all anyone could do was wait. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

I remember that when I was a little girl, whenever my mother or father had bad news to give me, they would always start by giving me vegetable soup. To this day I don't know why – maybe they thought that, like with physical illnesses, soup would somehow lessen the pain of whatever it was they had to tell me. It never did, but it had become a tradition in our little family that whenever someone made vegetable soup, you could be sure that some seriously important news would be given sometime that day.

When my parents died, the whole 'soup with bad news' tradition came to a complete standstill because Eli couldn't cook to save his life. Instead, he made his own tradition. For weeks after my parent's died, you could tell the mood of the house by whether or not there was music playing. It was a common tradition in our home to play music as background noise to sing along to when the rest of the house was quiet. On a good day, Eli would play whatever he felt like at the moment – country, classical, soft rock, heavy metal, pop… On a bad day, the house was silent.

Suffice to say, we didn't hear much music.

I felt deep within the pit of my stomach that something big was about to change between Seth and I, but I wasn't quite sure if it was going to end up being good or bad. This time, there was no one to bring me vegetable soup to warn of impending bad news, and no one suddenly started to play any music. It was quiet, and the only thing that kept me grounded at that moment was Seth's gentle hand pulling me farther and farther away from the bonfire and down the beach. The heat from the flames on my retreating back slowly dimmed, until the fire was just a speck in the distance and the sounds of laughter and conversation could no longer be heard.

Seth stopped in a clear area where bits of driftwood were scattered around. Pulling me down next to him in the sand, he heaved a great sigh and stared out across the water. I followed his gaze, neither of us willing to be the first to speak.

"So…" I said.

"So…" He responded.

There was a pause.

"Listen I think I should know that –"

"There's something you need to –"

We both smiled at having spoken at the same time. I could tell he was nervous, but he could probably see the same thing on me.

"You go first," he said.

I swallowed. "No, you go first."

He took in a deep breath. "Okay. I'm not really sure how to tell you this. I'm kind of afraid you might leave."

"Seth," I said, "I'm sure it can't be that bad." _Definitely not as bad as what I have to tell you._

"Alright, well…" He twiddled his thumbs and stood, unable to keep still. Pacing back and forth in front of me on the sand, I waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts. "I've gone over how I was going to tell you this so many times in my head, but in every scenario you end up yelling at me or running away screaming."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you an axe murderer or an ex-convict?"

"What?" His eyes widened. "No, of course not."

"Are you gay?"

"_No!_" he scowled. "I'm a… Why is this so _hard? _I shouldn't even be telling you this right now, I should wait until the timing is better and – Answer me this, do you believe in miracles or magic? Do you think that… Do you think it's possible for impossible things to happen?"

I blinked. "I believe that sometimes strange things happen in life that we can't explain. You know, like Bigfoot sightings, the Loch Ness Monster, or UFO's. I don't believe in those things specifically, but I believe that it's possible for _other _people to believe it."

"If I tell you this," he said nervously, shifting from foot to foot before he sat in front of me in the sand. "You need to promise me that you're going to keep an open mind. Just… just let me explain it fully."

"I promise."

"I'm a –" he frowned, as if it was physical pain for him to say the words. "The Quileute legends are true. They're not just stories, they're our history; the history of my tribe."

Of all things that I thought would come out of his mouth, _that _was the last thing I expected. "I don't understand."

"Annie," his voice was gentle and soft as he took my hands. "I'm a werewolf."

Seth braced himself for the worst, wincing as he waited for my reaction.

"I can't believe this."

His thumb rubbed my palm in comforting circles as he rushed to explain. "It's true, Annie. Me and all the guys – and Leah. We're all werewolves. We protect the tribe from the Cold Ones, or vampires, but honestly not all of them are bad; there's a group in Forks – the Cullens – that are vegetarian and they only drink animal blood. It's really –"

"I can't believe after everything that's happened, you would just make up some stupid idiotic story and expect me to be foolish enough to believe it." I snatched away my hands and stood, brushing off my jeans. "Screw you, Clearwater."

I couldn't believe it. I was such a fool, _such a damn fool._

"I – what? No! No, no, no, no, I'm serious!"

I stomped off in the sand and he trailed after me. I was fuming, pain slamming through every vein; what did he take me for? An idiot?

"Annie, please, if you would just let me _explain –_"

"_Explain?_" I whirled around and poked his bare stomach with an accusing finger. "You sound like a freaking _crazy _person_! Werewolves, Seth? Really_?!"

He looked so distraught and pained that I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

I fought back the rising dizziness I felt from standing too quickly, and pushed it down with my frustration and hurt.

"I can prove it!" he blurted out desperately. "Let me prove it to you, please! I can… I can… show you. Me, as a wolf!"

Dear Lord, this boy was actually mentally insane. He _really _thought that he could turn into a wild animal. "You know, I know this nurse at the hospital in Port Angeles and I'm sure she'll be able to recommend a psychiatrist for you, but before you turn around and try to murder me in this psychotic episode you're having, I'm just going to go." I turned again, ready to walk back to the bonfire and demand someone to take me home.

Seth grabbed my arm and swung me around, letting his strong hands rest on my shoulders to keep me firmly in place. "_Please,_" he begged. "Just let me explain; I already told you that I could prove it, just give me a chance!"

I stared at him suspiciously, tossing my options back and forth. In the end, I decided that I would humor him. "You have five minutes."

There was a spark of hope in his eyes as he reluctantly let me go. He cautiously stepped back with his hands out, ready to catch me if I suddenly bolted.

I stared at him expectantly. My head was starting to spin. "Well?" I asked weakly, "any day now, werewolf boy."

"If I go in the forest, will you promise to stay right here and not move?" he asked.

"Why do you need to go in the forest?"

His cheeks turned a bit pink. "My clothes don't exactly phase with me."

Oh, my God; this boy was actually going to strip naked on the beach and try to turn into a werewolf. This was a hell of a town that my brother picked.

I waved a hand. "I'm not going to move," I stated mockingly. "Just come back out when you're all wolfed up."

With that, he bolted into the woods, throwing several glances back at me to make sure I didn't run away. I could have run; I _should _have run, but something made me stay. I turned my back to the trees and scowled at dark sky over the ocean. My limbs felt heavy and weak, but I refused to show weakness. Not today.

_Not now._

I waited patiently several seconds. I would wait the five minutes, I decided. If he hadn't returned by then, I would leave and never talk to Seth Clearwater ever again.

The very thought made me cringe, but I pushed it down.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered to myself. "He's probably with his friends by now laughing his ass off." _Maybe I should just call my brother and get him to come and –_

A gentle nudge pushed against my back, making me jump.

"What the –"

I whipped around and shrieked, stumbling and falling backwards onto the sand. It was a wolf; a huge, gigantic, sandy colored wolf. But not just any wolf. It was…

_My wolf._

_Buddy!_

"But… you…" I sputtered. "What the – oh my god, oh my god this cannot be happening."

The wolf gave a sharp whimper, inching forward. He fell to the ground and rested his head on his paws, looking up at me with wide and depressed eyes.

But those eyes… that's why they had seemed so familiar. It was…

"S-Seth?" I asked nervously, fighting back a major freak out that I was sure was about to emerge. I felt dizzy; my head spun and it sounded as if my voice was hollow coming through the far end of a tunnel.

He whined.

"Oh God, oh God. You're… you're _Buddy?!_" I spluttered, "And you… and you kept it from me all this time! You let me talk to you and confide in you and this whole time you were just –"

My stomach churned. My head pounded. _Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic._

"I need… I need…" I swallowed against the bile in my throat, dark spots starting to cloud my vision as I greedily sucked in air. "I need to sit down."

_You __**are**__ sitting down, genius, _a voice inside my head whispered.

"I need…"

My vision went black.

* * *

**Reviews are loved!**


	12. Help Me Understand

Chapter 12:

"'_You,' he said, 'are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain.'" – Emilie Autumn, __The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls_

_Unknown Location, Washington:_

I was in and out of consciousness for a while after that, only catching snippets of everything that was happening around me. In my subconscious I was vaguely aware that I had passed out, and I also knew that if Eli ever found out what happened that he would probably kill me for 'over-exerting myself.' Or, more likely, he would have me committed to a mental institution.

Yeah, that seemed more likely.

_Because Seth was a freaking werewolf._

"Jesus Christ, Seth," yelled a voice from far away. "What the hell happened? You weren't supposed to make her pass out!"

Seth's voice shot back, both angry and filled with large portions of worry and desperation. "She didn't believe me and wanted me to prove it; when she realized that I was the wolf outside of her house, she just freaked – Mom! There you are; please can you…"

Cool hands touched my forehead, a sharp contrast to the warmth that covered the rest of my skin. Everything faded.

"I'm guessing it was just shock," came the light and soothing voice of Sue Clearwater. "Let's just bring her back to Sam and Emily's for the time being and wait for her to wake up."

Another voice, this one not as familiar, asked, "Shouldn't someone call her brother?"

Then nothing; the world faded into blackness once more.

I stepped back into the world for the third and final time with a rough coldness on my head, as if someone was pressing a wet towel against my skin.

"Did mom call her brother?" a husky feminine voice asked.

"Yeah, she made up some excuse," another voice responded, this one rough and deep. Seth. "I think she just told him that Annie had fallen asleep during the bonfire and that we'd be bringing her back a little later than anticipated."

A pause, then – "I'm surprised she didn't try and convince him to just let her stay here."

"She did," responded Seth. "She told me that he was hesitant about letting her stay later, but drew the line at letting her stay – wouldn't tell her why, though."

"Do you think this is about..." the voice, which I assumed to be Leah's, lowered to a light whisper, "whatever it is that she's hiding?"

Seth sighed, sounding drained. "At this point I honestly don't care anymore, Leah. She can have her secrets – I'm just hoping that she doesn't hate me."

Silence.

Heavy footsteps reached my ears and then a third voice entered the conversation. "Exactly how much were you able to tell her?"

"Not much," Seth admitted. "Only about us and a little about the Cullen's."

"You need to tell her all of it when she wakes up, Seth. Might as well rip it off all at once, like a Band-Aid."

There was _more?_ I groaned softly, my stomach churning and my mouth dry, as if it was stuffed with cotton. My head pounded, and I squeezed my eyes shut tighter as I wished that I had the ability to disappear.

Several noises broke out around me: someone calling out, "She's waking up!" A bunch of shuffling feet, and Seth saying, "Annie? Sweetheart, please wake up. Please open your eyes."

I did, unable to resist his voice. My eyes sluggishly blinked open, unfocused and blinded by the dim light in the room. Slowly, the faces of Seth, Jacob, and Leah came into view, peering down at me. Suddenly, the entire living room was packed with people who were eager to see if I had truly awoken; Sue Clearwater, ever the worrisome nurse, pushed them all aside.

"Okay, okay, don't crowd her; everyone get back and give her a little space to breathe," she ordered, kneeling down next to her son. "Hi, sweetie. Do you need anything? Are you feeling okay?"

How was I feeling? That was a good question. My thoughts were running marathons within my skull, and my emotions were doing their best to try and keep up. I was confused, enraged, terrified, miserable, devastated. "Can I have a glass of water, please?" I asked quietly. I clutched as my sleeves to stop my hands from shaking, and didn't take my eyes off of Sue.

"Sure," she answered, pushing back a bit of my hair from my forehead. "Would someone –"

"Sam is going to get her a glass," responded Emily, watching me with pity.

"Do you think you can sit up without feeling dizzy?" Sue asked me.

Probably not, but I'd be damned if I didn't try. "Yes," I braced my arms on the couch as I pushed myself into a sitting position, Sue leaving a guiding hand on the small of my back. Sure enough, spots filled my vision the second I sat up. "I just..." I swallowed, pinching my eyes shut and sucking in a deep breath. "I need a minute."

"Take your time."

A glass of water was put in front of my face, and I took it gratefully, sipping at the cold liquid. No one spoke.

It was one of the strangest silences I've ever experienced – as if everyone was waiting for a bomb to drop on the house. Swallowing my nerves and another sip of the water, I mumbled, "Werewolves, huh?" I shook my head. "Not exactly what I was expecting."

And just like that, the tension was gone. Well, most of the tension.

"It's actually pretty cool," responded Quil. "We can hear each other's thoughts when we're in wolf form, we're really fast, strong, intelligent – well, at least _I'm _intelligent."

"This coming from the guy who put aluminum foil in his mother's microwave and nearly set the house on fire," snorted Embry, causing a round of snickers to go throughout the group.

Quil looked insulted. "How was I supposed to know that you weren't supposed to put that kind of stuff in the microwave?"

"It's common sense!"

"Which apparently Quil doesn't have," said Jacob.

Emily scowled at the boy's antics as Kim moved around next to Sue, sitting on the couch near my legs. She patted my leg comfortingly. "I know it seems really confusing right now, but I promise you that it isn't that bad. You get used to it. And if you have any questions, all of us would be more than happy to answer them the best we can."

I could feel eyes drilling into the side of my head, but I refused to look in that direction. "I… how? Were all of you bitten or something? I'm just… this is unreal."

For the next 45 minutes, I was regaled with tales of the supernatural. I learned that they were more shape-shifters than actual werewolves, and could 'phase' into their wolf any time they wanted. It was something about their genetics, Jacob had explained. Somewhere down the line their ancestors had also been shifters, and they had passed down the gene. It had remained dormant, though, until the arrival of the Cullen family several years prior.

"But they're good vampires," Jacob reassured. "Nessie's a half-vampire. They're all vegetarian, so they only drink animal blood."

I crinkled my nose, my stomach churning uncomfortably. "So you guys turn into a bunch of wolves whenever… whenever _vampires_ are around."

"Basically."

My thoughts raced. "Why am I even allowed to know about this? Shouldn't it be some sort of tribal secret?"

As the words stumbled out of my mouth, I knew that I had metaphorically hit the nail on the head. Everyone froze; near my legs, Seth stiffened.

Paul was the first one to speak, but it wasn't with an explanation. "I think that's our cue to leave," he stated, tugging a reluctant Rachel by the hand. "It's been fun, guys; let us know how it goes. Come on, Rach."

"I think we're going to head out, too," said Jared, gesturing for Kim to join him.

Kim frowned, but stood and walked around the furniture to join him. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Annie, remember to keep an open mind, okay? Things aren't as bad as they may seem right now."

"We'll walk out with you," said Embry, tapping Quil on the shoulder. They followed Kim and Jared out of the room, and I was suddenly left with an ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach. What could possibly be that bad?

"Seth will explain the rest," Jacob told me, sending a stern look to the boy in front of me. Finally I turned my head to look at him, but he was looking down at the floor. "We'll give you a few minutes alone to talk." Then I was left alone with no one but a werewolf for company.

Seth was the first one to speak. "I know that this seems like a lot to take in; I can't tell you how sorry I am that everything turned out this way." His entire body was tense from his position on the floor. He was close enough to me that I could feel the heat emanating off of his body, but far enough away that we weren't actually touching. He looked so sad that all I wanted to do was reach out and hug him, but I resisted the urge. "I wanted to wait longer to tell you, but nothing really went as I had originally planned," he added bitterly, a regretful look crossing his features.

I managed to pull myself together enough to command, "Please stop beating around the bush. What's gotten everyone so nervous? After the werewolf thing, it can't be that bad, right?"

"It's not bad at all," he said. "It's amazing, and wonderful. At least, _I_ think it is. I'm just not sure if you'll feel the same."

I waited, expectant.

Seth chewed on his bottom lip. "Do you remember in the stories how Taha Aki and his Third Wife had this really special bond with each other?"

I nodded.

"Well, that bond has a name. It's been called a lot of things over the years, but the most commonly used term is 'imprinting.'"

Something about the word made my heart beat harder in my chest, and I rubbed a hand over it in a halfhearted attempt to soothe its beating. "Imprinting?" I frowned. "You mean like baby ducks imprint on their mothers?"

Despite the tense atmosphere and the heavy conversation that we were having, Seth's lips twitched. "It's based on the same concept, but at the same time… it's different. It's… Imprinting is basically this involuntary reflex that's ingrained in those Quileute's with the active shifter gene."

"I'm confused," I told him. "What does that mean?"

His eyes locked on mine, gauging my reaction to his next words. "It's how we find our soul mates."

Obviously Seth was expecting me to jump off of the couch and run screaming straight out the front door, but I just stared at him, my brain not fully comprehending his words. "Huh?"

He sighed. "It's kind of hard to explain. See, Quileute's have this sort of sixth sense when it comes to people and it basically activates when we see our imprints for the first time. The second you see her – the very moment you look into her eyes for the first time, something inside of you becomes tethered to her. Her pain is your pain; her happiness is your happiness. We want to protect our imprints, care for them, do whatever it takes to make them happy even if that may mean we have to sacrifice our own happiness."

I felt uneasy and sick. A sense of foreboding enveloped me. "Seth –"

"It's basically fate's way of telling the wolf, 'this is the one you're meant to be with; she's going to be the best thing to ever happen to you, and if you play your cards right, you may just have forever with her.'"

I knew where this was going, but I wished I were wrong. At first Seth's words were almost enticing, and I wouldn't deny that I wanted the relationship he described… but the second the word 'forever' slipped out of his mouth, I felt my nerve endings go on edge, my heart race, and my head spin.

_No, no, no, no. Seth, you don't understand. Please don't say it. Please just stop now. God, let this be some kind of stupid, cruel, practical joke._

He got onto his knees in front of me, pressing against my legs. He grabbed my hands in a tight grip and started to say, "Annie…"

_No, no, no! This can't –_

"I imprinted on you."

My panic must have shown on my face because he kept speaking. His body was still tense, as if he was bracing himself.

"That day we met on the beach, that's when it happened. The second I saw you, I knew. You were the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life –"

My voice was soft, barely reaching my own ears. "No –"

"- and all I wanted to do was talk to you and hug you and be near you –"

"_No!_" My voice trembled, but was loud enough for him to pause in his words. "Stop. Just…" I rubbed my eyes. "Stop. I don't know what you're trying to – I just can't."

The desperate look on Seth's face made me choke; his grip on my hands became tighter. "It's not what you think, I swear. We would have found our way to each other eventually; the imprint is just a push in the right direction –"

"Do you have any idea how _crazy_ you sound?" I burst out, pushing his hands away. "This is – this is way too much. _Forever_? I - I just – I _can't –_"

"That's what you have a problem with? Forever? Annie, I just mean –"

"Can't you imprint on someone else?" I asked desperately, heart aching while my eyes became itchy and wet.

Seth frowned. This conversation was obviously not going the way he wanted it to go. "I can't just turn it on and off. It's fate. You can't just switch who your soul mate is?"

Disbelief filled my veins. "Soul mates? We're _soul mates _now?" I pushed him aside so I could shakily get to my feet. I wobbled as dizziness rushed into my skull, and he held out his arms to steady me. I slapped his hands away. "This is _ridiculous!_ You've imprinted on the wrong person, Seth! _The imprint is wrong._"

Silence. Shuffling and a soft gasp emerged from the other room, but otherwise, the house was quiet.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Seth spoke, taking a hesitant step forward toward me. "If you'd just let me explain it better I could help you understand –"

I stepped away from him, my back hitting the painted wall behind me. "You're the one who doesn't understand! This imprint thing – you shouldn't have imprinted on me! Forever is just…" my voice trailed off.

"Why in the world is forever such a bad thing?"

I wrapped my arms around my chest, feeling both anxious and insecure. "Because it just is! You want something that I can't give you. You – you _don't understand –_"

"Then help me understand!" he exclaimed, taking another few steps forward. He stopped a few inches away. "Whatever this is – whatever it is that you're hiding, you can tell me! Just talk to me! You keep telling me that I don't understand – _what _don't I understand?"

_Here's your chance, Annie. It's now or never. Tell him or live the rest of your life feeling complete and utter regret. Seth, I have cancer. Cancer, cancer, cancer. Say it!_

My mouth opened to speak, but no sound would come out except for a choke. I placed a hand over my mouth to hold back a sob. "I can't tell you, no matter how much I want to – and you have no idea how much I want to tell you everything, but I just – I can't."

"You can't," he repeated blandly. "Why do you keep saying that? What is it that you can't do?"

I rubbed my eyes, angry at myself and at the world. "Forever isn't an option for me. _I don't have forever._" Unable to bear looking at the expression on his face, I kept my eyes locked on my feet and managed to say, "I want to go home."

I knew that with their super-hearing everyone in the kitchen had heard my conversation with Seth, so I wasn't surprised when Jacob slowly entered the living room and offered softly, "I'll take you home, if you want."

"No," I denied his offer, trying to keep my voice strong. "Someone who doesn't turn into a fluffy animal on a daily basis. Please," I added as an afterthought.

"I'll take you," responded Emily immediately, stepping in from the kitchen determinedly. "I'll take you home."

I couldn't even look at Seth because every step I took away from him was painful. I followed Emily with my gaze stuck on the floor, my heart ripping itself into thousands of tiny pieces.

If things were normal, I would be overjoyed. I would be elated. Honestly, I could picture no other person who I would rather spend forever with than Seth Clearwater. If things were different, I would have been so happy; so very happy that I found the one who I could willingly give my heart to for the rest of my life. I knew it would be simple – as easy as breathing.

But things weren't normal. I was stuck in a certain situation and I had to deal with the consequences while trying to lower the casualties as much as I possibly could.

Because I didn't have forever.

And Seth deserved more than that.

* * *

_La Push Road, La Push, Washington:_

Emily had taken the keys to her husband's truck and drove me home. She was quiet for most of the ride, and I prayed that her silence meant that the situation back at her home wouldn't be talked about. Of course, my life was never that easy, and Emily seemed like the type to never let a confrontation go unsolved.

It wasn't until we were about fifteen minutes away from my house that she started speaking. "I know that all of this seems scary and overwhelming, but you need to remember that Seth wouldn't ever hurt you. He's not being forced to love you or care about you – none of us are. He just wants to be near you; to be your friend."

"I'm not scared of Seth, Emily," I responded tiredly, leaning my head against the cool glass of the window. "I'm not scared of the wolves or even by the imprinting thing. If things were different…"

"What do you mean, different? If he hadn't imprinted on you?"

I shook my head. "No, that's not what I meant."

"Can you please explain it to me?"

"I don't want to talk about this," I mumbled. "I can't – I'm not ready to tell anyone."

She was quiet. Then – "Did anyone ever tell you how I got my scars?" she asked, gesturing to the long lines that deformed half of her face.

"A bear, right?"

Emily gave me a sour smile. "That's what I tell most people who ask, but actually it was Sam." I must have looked horrified, because she continued, "He didn't do it on purpose; it was a complete accident."

"Jesus, Emily," I said, awed and a bit queasy. "And you still stayed with him after he did that to you?"

"It was an accident," she stated firmly. "For a while, I didn't stay with him. It's kind of a long story, but I'll tell it to you, if you want."

I looked away and thought about what this could mean. I knew that what Emily was telling me was part of some ulterior motive on her part, but I wasn't sure what she could possibly say that could make what had happened any better. "Go for it."

"I'm sure you already know that Leah was dating Sam before he and I had ever met," she started. "Leah was my cousin; we were so close. Best friends who told each other everything, even though we lived an hour and a half away from each other and didn't see each other as often as we would have liked."

"I didn't know you guys were close."

"We were like sisters," Emily said, as her thoughts led her years away from the moment we were currently experiencing. "Leah had told me a lot about Sam before, but I had never met him. Finally, I get a call from Leah and she tells me that she's so in love with him, and how they're going to get married and live happily ever after. I was intrigued; Leah had never spoken about anyone like she talked about Sam, so I decided that I had to go and visit my cousin to meet this mystery man. He had to gain my approval before he could marry my best friend."

"Obviously things didn't turn out like Leah had planned," I murmured, pondering Emily's words.

"Not at all. A few days before I was scheduled to make the trip, I received another phone call. Leah told me how Sam had been acting strange. Weird behavior, had grown several inches, packed on a bunch of muscle."

"Was that when he first started phasing?" I asked curiously.

"Leah and I didn't know it at the time, but yes. I was confused, but I still made my way down to La Push. A few days into my trip, I finally met Sam. That was the day that everything changed. I looked in his eyes and it was like everything that had ever happened to me before that moment didn't matter anymore. Now that I look back on it, I think I loved him from that very first moment."

"What happened after that?"

Emily just laughed. "Well after the first initial shock died down, I was furious. At myself for liking the man Leah loved, at Sam for being so intense and intriguing and gorgeous. Sam broke up with her that night; told her that he had fallen in love with someone else. He didn't say who it was, but somehow she just knew that it was me. She could tell by the way he looked at me when I was in the room. That was about the time that all hell broke loose."

She paused for a minute, turned down onto a street from the highway, and continued. "I was so… _livid. _I couldn't believe that he had broken up with Leah because of me. Leah hated me with a burning passion and she never really stopped; her dad tried to convince her that Sam and I belonged together – Harry Clearwater had known about the wolves because he was part of the council until he died – but everyone was just angry at each other. Sam was angry at himself, Leah wouldn't even be in the same room with me because she thought I was secretly seeing Sam, and every time I saw Sam I just started yelling at him."

Emily sighed. "Finally I ended my trip and went back to the Makah reservation. I stayed away for over two months, and every day, every hour, every _second_ without him was painful. He had come over to see me several times to explain; he just couldn't stop himself. Every single time I told him to _leave_, but I never told him to _stay_ away," she said thoughtfully. "About the sixth time he came to see me, I figured it would be good to talk to him. He told me that he needed to be with me, that we were completely perfect for each other and that he couldn't explain how much it hurt to be away from me. We sat outside and talked for a long time, and finally we ended up getting into an argument. To be completely honest with you, I don't even remember what we argued about; probably about Leah. But I was standing too close, and he lost control."

"And that was how you got the scars," I concluded. "How could you stay with him after that? Not that I don't like Sam or anything – he's a great guy – I just can't imagine what could have been going through your mind."

"Well, I woke up a few days later in the hospital, with him holding my hand and telling me how sorry he was and that he didn't deserve me. That was when I learned that he was a shape-shifter… and about imprinting."

"But then it was happily ever after, right?" I gestured to her pregnant belly, and she protectively rested a hand on it.

"Not exactly. I was terrified," she admitted softly, free hand clenching the steering wheel. "I told him to leave like I always did, and I said he was completely crazy. He shouldn't have done what he did to me, or what he did to Leah; I said all of those horrible things, even though I knew it was something he couldn't control. After I was released from the hospital, I moved back home to the Makah Reservation."

"Did you come back or did he go to chase after you?"

"A bit of both," Emily replied. "I stayed away for a while, and so did he. We didn't see each other, didn't hear from each other… Finally, one day he came to my house, so distraught and guilt-ridden… he looked absolutely _terrible._ Neither of us had been sleeping or eating well and it was obvious that we were both completely sick. He said – I've never told this part to anyone, but I'm going to tell you because I think it'll help you understand. He said that all I needed to do was tell him to kill himself and he would do so."

I stayed quiet.

"I didn't know what to say; I mean, what can you say to that? Someone who would take himself out of the world if that would make you happy. He didn't stay that night, though. I told him to go home and give me one night, just _one night_ to think about everything that had happened. I said that I would contact him in the morning. He left, and that night I couldn't get to sleep. I knew that I loved him. He was my soul mate and my other half, and I decided that I couldn't stay away any longer. I still remember that when I got to his house, it was three in the morning and he wasn't even home. I waited on his doorstep and when he got there…" She let her voice trail off. "I just started bawling hysterically. I had missed him so much, even though I barely knew him. We stayed up all night, sitting out on his porch talking. The rest is basically history."

"That's a beautiful story, Emily," I stated sincerely, "but I'm not sure why you're telling it to me."

We had finally reached my house, but I didn't move to exit the truck. "I'm telling you this so you understand how powerful imprinting is. Even if it hadn't happened, Sam and I would have eventually found our ways to each other. Being away from him was painful – it made me physically ill, and it only got worse as time passed. I know you feel it right now – that pain from being away from Seth."

At the sound of his name, I flinched. It didn't go unnoticed by Emily.

"The longer you try to stay away from him, the worse you're going to feel," she pointed out, reaching over me to push open the car door. "Give the imprint a chance. He'll be whatever you want him to be, Annie. A friend, a lover, a brother or shoulder to cry on, a protector… Just don't kick him out of your life completely. Because that pain you're feeling," she pointed to my chest where my heart was beating erratically, "I can promise you that he's feeling it a hundred times worse than you are. It's painful for us, but for them... it's agony."

I shut the door of the truck as I climbed out, standing next to it and staring at Emily through the open window. "Can I ask you something?"

Her features went soft. "Of course."

I chewed on my lip, choosing my words carefully. "What if you had a secret so big that you felt as if you couldn't tell Sam because it would change the way he thought about you. That it would… show him that he needed someone else; someone that was better for him."

Emily's head cocked to the side as she studied me. "I think the answer is pretty simple, considering that Seth was in the same exact situation and yet he told you his secret."

"But I'm not talking about me and Seth. I'm talking about you and Sam."

She shrugged. "It's the same situation. I don't have any secrets that I wouldn't tell Sam and I know he doesn't keep anything from me."

"But what _if?_"

She pursed her lips, her head shaking from side to side. "I always felt that I didn't deserve Sam. I always thought that he could easily find someone better than me. But even knowing that, I can't imagine keeping anything from him no matter how big of a secret it is, just like I know that no matter what happens, Sam will never change the way he feels about me. I guess you just have to have faith that things will work out."

"And what if I don't have faith in myself?"

The corners of her mouth turned upwards into a smile. "Then I guess you just have to have faith in Seth."

* * *

**Please don't kill me? Next chapter: Seth finally _finally _discovers Annie's little secret.**

**Reviews are food for the soul.**


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